Click on this link to download the full high-definition interactive pdf for AJUR Volume 18 Issue 4 (March 2022) or https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2022.050
Links to individual manuscripts, abstracts, and keywords are provided below.
p.3. The Effects of the NBA COVID Bubble on the NBA Playoffs: A Case Study for Home-Court Advantage
Michael Price & Jun Yan
https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2022.051
ABSTRACT: The 2020 NBA playoffs were played inside of a bubble at Disney World because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that there were no fans in attendance, games were played on neutral courts and no traveling for teams. In theory, these conditions should remove home-court advantage from the games. This setting generated discussion and concern, as analysts and fans debated the possible effects it may have on the outcome of games. Home-court advantage has historically played an influential role in NBA playoff series outcomes. The 2020 playoffs provided a unique opportunity to study the effects of the bubble and home-court advantage by comparing the 2020 season with the seasons in the past. While many factors contribute to the outcome of games, points scored is the deciding factor of who wins. Thus, scoring is the primary focus of this study. The specific measures of interest are team scoring totals and team shooting percentage on two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws. Comparing these measures for home teams and away teams in 2020 vs. 2017-2019 shows that the 2020 playoffs favored away teams more than usual, particularly with two-point shooting and total scoring.
KEYWORDS: NBA; NBA Covid; NBA Bubble; Homecourt Advantage
p.15. Internalizing Symptoms in Children Exposed to Adversity: Examining Associations with Resilience, Social Support, and Community Cohesion
Rachel Stobbe, Taylor Napier, Debra Bartelli, & Kathryn H. Howell
https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2022.052
ABSTRACT: Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) contributes to increased rates of psychopathology in youth. Specific environmental factors have been linked to improved functioning following adversity, but few studies have taken a social-ecological approach to examine how resilience, social support, and community cohesion may be associated with internalizing problems (i.e., anxiety, depression) in young children. The current study included 49 children between the ages of 8 and 13 (Mage = 10.43, SD = 1.57; 55.1% male; 95.8% Black or African American) who were recruited from four community programs in the Midsouth, United States that serve families experiencing adversity. Regarding income, 77.3% of youth’s caregivers reported an annual household income under $15,000. Almost all children reported experiencing at least one ACE (92.6%). Two linear regression models were run to assess how resilience, social support, and community cohesion were related to youth’s depression and anxiety symptoms while controlling for ACEs and family income. The model examining depression was significant, (F (5, 48) = 4.16, p < .01, R2 = .33) with fewer reported ACEs (β = 1.55, p < .02) and higher resilience (β = -.73, p = .01) associated with lower depressive symptoms. The model assessing anxiety was not significant. Results indicate that personal resilience may be a key target for intervention in children exposed to ACEs as efforts to strengthen individual resources (e.g., self-efficacy, emotion regulation skills) could be linked to reduced psychopathology.
KEYWORDS: Adverse Childhood Experiences; Social Ecology; Resilience; Social Support; Community Cohesion; Internalizing Symptoms; Anxiety; Depression