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Research

Read and download research conducted by Delane Lim. 

Tchoukball as an Emerging Sport in Major Games

Tchoukball being an exciting and highly kinetic team sport has been widely accepted and progressively popular in the Asia Pacific region suggesting the possibility of its classification as an international standard and most played sport in the future (Sports Management Magazine, 2014). Tchoukball was developed in Switzerland in the 1970s it is a derivative of handball, volleyball, and squash (Lebed, 2022). The growth of Tchoukball in the Asia Pacific region is seen through the number of national federations present, the usual regional championships, and the increasing interest of students of all ages and other groups of the population to participate in Tchoukball. Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Hong Kong are identified as the countries that have developed standard leagues, national championships, and facilities for the International Tchoukball Federation attracting talented players and fans.

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This paper seeks to elucidate why Tchoukball ought to be considered as a sport in major games such as the SEA Games and Asia Games by analyzing the growth of the game, its benefits, and the matching of the Olympic values. Moreover, the given report reveals the future development of the sports in the frame of Asia Pacific that speaks about the increasing importance of Tchoukball as a sport that can supplement the Olympic games with its specific features and with the perspective for international popularity. Based on the synthesis and analysis of all the facts, we will try to prove that Tchoukball indeed fits all the requirements necessary for being included in major games and, moreover, it is a completely new and attractive type of international sport.

"Changing the Narrative on Suicide #StartTheConversation"

Suicide is global issue, that affects many individuals and communities. The theme for World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) 2024-2026, ‘Changing the Narrative on Suicide’ aims to address the issue by changing perceptions and discussions about the issue, by encouraging individuals to be open, supportive, understanding to affected individuals, instead of remaining silent and promoting stigma (IASP, 2023; Betts, 2024). This will create a supportive and compassionate environment where individuals can ask for help freely. The initiative #StartTheConversation encourages dialogue to prevent suicide. Conversations about mental health can make individuals feel less isolated, and foster a sense of community as struggling individuals will get required support (Hassan et al., 2020). Furthermore, starting conversations will educate the public and address myths and misinformation that contribute to stigma.

Unveiling the Link: Exploring Corporate Environmental and Cultural Factors Impacting Mental Health in Singaporean Organizations

There is a growing awareness of the need to invest in the mental health needs of employees. Good mental health is a critical component of a productive worker who is also able to deal with the adversities of life and remain resilient. As such, the role of mental health in promoting general welfare of employees is vital.  However, there are corporate environmental and cultural factors within organizations that increase the chances of employees suffering from poor mental health.

 

The objective of the study is to explore the nexus between those factors and poor mental health outcome. This quantitative study sampled 136 participants using stratified sampling and simple random sampling methods. The data was collected using online questionnaires generated using Google forms and sent to participants using email. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis on SPSS and Microsoft excel. The study found that high workload and job demands predictive poor mental health among the employees sampled.

 

However, positive leadership and effective communication was positively associated with good mental health. The same study also found that organizational culture that is characterised by openness, social support, and work-life balance improved the mental health outcomes of employees. The same applies to the presence of policies and resources meant to support the mental health of workers.

 

It is recommended that the organization need to reduce the workload by hiring more workers or allowing flexible work schedules that would allow workers to operate from home. It is also recommended that open communication where employees can voice their concerns is vital. Organizational culture should promote work life balance and more resources and policies should take mental health welfare of workers into consideration. The implications of the findings are discussed.

"Enhancing Youth Mental Health through Outdoor Adventure Education: Reevaluating Data Collection Strategies for Comprehensive Impact Assessment"

Accordingly, OAE has been recognised as a method of enhancing youths' mental states. Nevertheless, there is a lot of issue in this area, as there are plenty of programs with feedback systems and only a few comprehensive impact studies. Thus, this study proposes that it is high time to change the attention from program feedback to rigorous impact evaluation of OAE programs with respect to youth mental health. This study seeks to narrow the gap between intended and realised program consequences by reassessing and realigning data collection methods in order to enhance the impact of OAE interventions aimed at adolescent psychosocial protection.


As such, the current problem in regard to OAE programming for youth mental health is that there is much dependence on program feedback mechanisms and not all understanding of what the real impacts of these programs are. This study suggests that, perhaps, we can use systemic and quantitative effect evaluation through redetermination of kind of queries submitted to respondents. By exploring the genuine effects of OAE interventions on youth mental health and using these data to inform program redesign, we can develop more effective and targeted approaches to youth mental health support within the context of outdoor adventure education.

Mental Health: Peer Support System & Availability of Mental Resources & Support in the Competitive Sport for Youths

Young people are increasingly involved in organised sports at a time that is very crucial to their personal development. The youthful stage marks the peak of one's life and a critical moment for careful decision-making that would shape an individual's life and career progression (Dorsch et al., 2022). The competitive sports landscape has been identified as exposing young athletes to various stressors and emotional demands that in most cases overwhelm them and push them to the verge of mental state instability (Gould, D. (2019). The stress of training and competition that define the life of an athlete is one of the key causes of emotional instability that compromises young people's mental well-being. Every athlete dreams to perform at their peak in the competitions in which they participate. As a result, athletes train for many hours, days, and years to master the art of performance, which may only last a few seconds, minutes or hours. Consequently, the outcomes of their performance in such competitions, especially when they fail to meet the anticipated outcomes that they trained to achieve or fail to achieve the milestones set, such as getting to the finals, breaking records and establishing personal best, they feel disoriented and this is manifested by their mental instability (Walton et al., 2021).


While the use of drugs has been perceived to be one of the main causal factors perpetuating mental health instability among sporting youths, there are equally other wide-ranging issues affecting these young-abled individuals (Ströhle, 2019). This is mainly associated with the core reasons for individual engagement in individual or team sports. Sports psychologists are directing significant concerns into establishing the relationship between motivation and sports participation. Young people choose to participate in different sporting activities for various reasons, depending on their motivation. Some participate in sports to gain recognition, contribute to the sport, and find the satisfaction of keeping fit through sports, for financial gains, and simply for their love for the sport. Despite the source of motivation, competitive sporting comes with their fair share of challenges that, if not appropriately handled, may result in major mental instabilities at the onset and later develop into mental illness. Therefore, appropriate resources must be put in place to ensure that early detection of mental health cases among young athletes is established.


   This study is relevant as it paints a clear picture of the prevalence of mental health issues amongst youths engaged in competitive sports in Singapore by delving deeper into their experiences and challenges. The information gathered from the study through empirical evidence and first-hand accounts validates the need to establish a peer-driven support network structure, one that perfectly fits within the context. The study will further provide a workable framework to design a curriculum tailored to the demographic and contextual needs of young athletes in Singapore, thus providing a strategic approach to address the challenge. 

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