Brief Structured Team Reflection Embedded in Elite Underwater Rugby Training (BSTR-UWR)

Édison Andrés Pérez Bedoya25 enrolled

Overview

This single-arm field evaluation examined whether a brief, structured team reflection routine embedded within usual elite underwater rugby training was associated with change in team cohesion, psychological safety, peer trust, and team identification across three measurement occasions. Twenty-five male athletes contributed at least one assessment. Baseline responses were recorded on 16-17 February 2026 (T0), midpoint responses after session 6 on 5-9 March 2026 (T1), and endpoint responses after session 12 on 18 March 2026 (T2). The registered plan anticipated 16 sessions over six weeks; operational delivery concluded after 12 sessions, and no later follow-up was conducted.

The intervention consisted of brief, structured team-reflection conversations embedded within the squad's usual training environment. The routine used concise prompts, turn-taking, and a 'share-only' rule that prohibited interruption, rebuttal, blame, selection discussion, and cross-talk.. Sessions were intended to close with an observable cue, rule, norm, or micro-habit for subsequent training. The registered plan anticipated 16 sessions over six weeks. Operational delivery concluded after 12 sessions. Assessments were completed at T0 (16-17 February 2026), T1 after session 6 (5-9 March 2026), and T2 after session 12 (18 March 2026). No later follow-up was conducted. The retained study file contains outcome responses but no complete nominal record of attendance, actual session duration, facilitator fidelity, protocol deviations, training availability, injury, or illness. Accordingly, no attendance percentage, fidelity percentage, dose-response analysis, or injury/availability result is claimed. Objective sport-performance outcomes were not collected.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Eligibility

Sex: MALEMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Male elite underwater rugby athletes aged 18 years or older. * Officially rostered in the squad and training regularly (minimum 2 sessions per week). * Able to complete Spanish-language questionnaires. * Willing to participate and provide written informed consent. * Available to complete assessments at baseline (T0), week 3 (T1), and week 6 (T2). Exclusion Criteria: * Unable to complete the questionnaires reliably (e.g., language/comprehension barriers). * Anticipated prolonged absence during the 6-week period that would prevent meaningful exposure to the intervention and/or completion of follow-up assessments. * Declines participation or does not provide informed consent.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Team Cohesion (GEQ-12 short form)

Team cohesion measured using the Spanish 12-item short form of the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ). Items are rated on a 1-9 scale; negatively keyed items are reverse-scored. A composite cohesion score is computed as the mean of items, with higher scores indicating greater perceived cohesion.

Time frame: Baseline 16-17 February 2026 (T0, pre-intervention; up to 5 minutes); T1: 5-9 March 2026 (after session 6; T1; up to 5 minutes) and T2: 18 March 2026 (after session 12; post-intervention; up to 5 minutes)

Secondary Outcomes

Psychological Safety (Edmondson 7-item Team Psychological Safety scale)

Psychological safety assessed with the 7-item Team Psychological Safety scale. Items are answered on a 1-7 Likert-type response format; negatively keyed items are reverse-scored. A composite psychological safety score is computed as the mean of the 7 items, with higher scores indicating greater perceived psychological safety within the team.

Peer Trust (HERO horizontal trust, 4-item team-referent measure)

Peer trust within the squad assessed using a 4-item team-referent horizontal trust measure drawn from the HERO organisational trust framework. Items are answered on a 0-6 response scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree). A composite peer trust score is computed as the mean of the 4 items, with higher values indicating greater perceived horizontal (peer) trust among teammates.

Team Identification (6-item team-referent identification scale)

Team identification assessed using a 6-item team-referent identification measure adapted from Mael \& Ashforth. Items are answered on a 1-7 Likert-type response format. A composite identification score is computed as the mean of the 6 items, with higher scores indicating stronger identification with the team.

Brief Structured Team Reflection Embedded in Elite Underwater Rugby Training (BSTR-UWR)

Overview

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes