University of Chichester

Athlete burnout is increasingly reported as impacting esports players' wellbeing and performance. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Athlete Burnout Scale (ABO-S) in esports. The ABO-S assesses three burnout dimensions: physical exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment, and negative feelings toward sport. The study focused on item discrimination and difficulty parameters to establish optimal raw cut-off scores indicating levels of burnout risk. Participants were 453 adult esports players proficient in English, ranked in the top 40% of one of seven major esports. The sample included 372 males, 74 females, and seven nonbinary participants from 66 countries. Item Response Theory was used to assess the ABO-S's psychometric properties. The GRM provided a superior fit, with all but one item showing sufficient discrimination and difficulty levels. Items reflecting weariness, lacking energy, and physical exhaustion demonstrated high levels of information and reliability across a range of burnout levels. A provisional diagnostic cut-off score of ≥ 63 (+2 SD) was established, identifying 2% of participants at high burnout risk. Additional raw score thresholds of ≥ 47 (+0.5 SD) and 52 (+1 SD) were also identified. The ABO-S is a robust instrument for assessing burnout in esports players, with specific items effectively identifying varying levels of burnout. The establishment of cut-off scores aids in identifying players at high risk of burnout, contributing to better support and intervention strategies in the esports community. These findings further the understanding of burnout in esports, highlighting the scale's utility in monitoring and addressing player wellbeing.

As retailers increasingly deploy AI-based systems to manage customer complaints, fundamental questions arise regarding how such technologies shape customer evaluations, the psychological mechanisms through which they operate, and the boundary conditions under which they are most effective. This study investigates the impact of an AI-enabled complaint-handling system introduced by a large UK omnichannel retailer that automates triage, routing, and structured process updates, focusing on customers' likelihood-to-recommend (LR; 0–10) and unit-month Net Promoter Score (NPS), perceived provider competence, and the moderating role of complaint affective intensity. Using a sequential mixed-methods design, we first conduct semi-structured interviews with customers and frontline managers to explore competence cues, emotional expectations, and perceptions of AI-human role allocation. Building on these insights, we analyse customer-level survey data and administrative records through a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences (DiD) framework exploiting the retailer's staggered AI rollout. Quantitative results show that AI adoption increases LR by 0.38 points, equivalent to a 5.1% improvement over the pre-treatment mean. At the unit-month level, AI raises NPS by 4.1 points, a 22% relative increase. Perceived provider competence increases by 0.28 standard deviations post-AI adoption and mediates 45% of the total effect on LR, confirming competence as a central psychological mechanism. However, AI's impact is moderated by affective intensity: gains in LR are 37% smaller for high-affect complaints compared with low-affect complaints, indicating that AI-driven informational support is less effective when customers express intense negative emotion. Event-study analyses and robustness checks confirm the validity of the causal estimates. The findings provide practical guidance for retailers designing AI-enabled complaint-handling systems by highlighting when automation can enhance customer advocacy and when timely escalation to human agents is essential, particularly for emotionally intense complaints. These findings advance service recovery theory by identifying the conditions under which AI enhances customer evaluations and offer guidance for designing hybrid AI–human systems that balance efficiency with emotional responsiveness.

Abstract A key societal priority is to support people with dementia and their care partners to live well, particularly through improved access to high-quality information, continuity of care, and consistent post-diagnostic support. The Sage House Model represents a novel, community-based approach to integrated dementia care, co-locating diagnostic assessment, tailored support services, psychosocial interventions, and opportunities for social engagement within a single accessible centre. By reducing fragmentation across health, social care, and voluntary sector provision, the model is designed to address key determinants of living well with dementia. The present study examined whether the Sage House Model is associated with key wellbeing outcomes for both people with dementia and care partners. Using a natural experiment design, outcomes were compared between participants accessing the Sage House centre in Tangmere and those receiving standard care. The sample included 135 people with dementia ( M age = 74.64, SD = 8.30) and 129 care partners ( M age = 67.23, SD = 9.84). A series of ANCOVAs indicated that people with dementia accessing Sage House reported significantly higher quality of life ( p = .004, ω 2 = .06), life satisfaction ( p = .004, ω 2 = .07), and wellbeing ( p = .044, ω 2 = .03) compared with those receiving standard care. In addition, care partners with access to Sage House reported significantly greater needs-based QoL, particularly in relation to improved access to information and support ( p = .005, ω 2 = .07). These findings provide initial empirical support for community-based integrated dementia care in enhancing wellbeing for people with dementia and their care partners, and highlight the value of co-located, multicomponent dementia services in addressing post-diagnostic gaps in real-world care.

Purpose Narratives help people to make sense of illness and trauma experiences. Exposure to a breadth of narratives is proposed to offer validation, reassurance and support well-being. Previous research constructed five narratives from people with major lower limb amputation (MLLA). However, efforts to bridge the research-practice gap, and meet clinical priorities by translating the narratives into resources, remained. This study aimed to illustrate an immersive co-design process and develop narrative resources for healthcare professionals working within, and people undergoing MLLA rehabilitation. Methods Commissioned by a National Health Service (NHS) MLLA rehabilitation centre, a 27-month rigorous co-design process was undertaken. An immersive, iterative three-stage process involving multiple end-user groups (e.g. patients, therapists, managers) and co-design activities (e.g. immersion, workshops) was used. Results Two co-design workstreams were undertaken, one to develop resources for people with MLLA and one for new allied healthcare professionals (AHPs). Outcomes included perceptions of the narratives (e.g. authentic, awareness raising), content and format priorities (e.g. visual, novel), and factors likely to influence implementation and engagement (e.g. readiness, existing knowledge). Conclusions Two narrative resource packages were co-designed for use in MLLA rehabilitation. The importance of context, and the dilemmas of sharing regressive narratives in clinical practice are discussed.

This study used eye-tracking technology to investigate the gaze behavior of an expert musician while learning a newly composed piece of contemporary classical cello music from the initial sight-reading of the score to a performance run-through. Unlike previous research relying on self-report and observation, this study combined analyses of physiological data and the musician’s reported thought processes, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the learning-to-performance journey. The subject of investigation was the second movement (Introspection) of Resonance for solo cello by Jill Jarman. A combination of frame-by-frame and automated analysis of eye-tracking data allowed the capture of significant amounts of data across three data-collection points. Patterns of learning relating to technical challenges were displayed for this cellist across the recorded sessions, and initial links between self-reported thinking, cognitive processing, and the resulting recorded performance sessions were explored. Results provided preliminary insights into connections between perception, cognition, and performance, and advanced-level music learning approaches and performance practices.

Abstract This article explores the application of the cy-près doctrine within the context of community and amateur sport. While designed to preserve charitable intent when a gift’s original purpose fails, cy-près presents distinct challenges in grassroots contexts where sentiment, informality, and civic spirit often outweigh legal precision. Community sports clubs, deeply embedded in local identity yet structurally fragile, increasingly depend on charitable funding. When these organisations dissolve or lose status, courts must determine how to redirect gifts without undermining donor intent. This article reframes cy-près as a measure of public trust in charity law—one that must evolve to preserve not just the gift—but the shared values and local identities that inspire it.