PUB272 Health Promotion Settings And Advocacy

Question: The purpose of this assignment is to assess your ability to evaluate approaches and trends in the areas of discipline and rehabilitation in professional sport. Rarely a week goes by without some commentary on off-field behaviours and the sanction or disciplinary action that sports governing bodies enforce. Debate has traditionally focussed on financial sanctions, as opposed to rehabilitation, and even though research is challenging this approach, financial sanctions are still prominent in disciplinary action. Using both academic and popular literature, research: ? Off field behaviours ? Trends in discipline management, and ? The importance of rehabilitation Click on the hyperlinks to access the copy of a playing contract as well as a code of conduct (also available under the Assessment 1 information on the LMS portal), which specifies acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. You will use these documents in answering question 2 and 3, of the case study. Your academic research needs to cover ‘latest thinking’ and journal articles need to have been published within the last 5 years. For this assessment, you will be required to use a minimum of 5 journal articles, to be sourced from online databases from the Laureate library. Case Study Davies (2011) argues that the off-field indiscretions of professional athletes highlight the fact that a player’s off-field behaviour has become a major consideration when it comes to their employment. There have been multiple cases both, in Australia and internationally, where athletes have had their contracts terminated or faced heavy sanctions, due to offfield conduct. On 26 January 2016 Mitchell Pearce, a player for the Sydney Roosters (National Rugby League Competition: NRL) was involved in an off-field incident which saw him involved in what came to be regarded as the “Australia Day drunken video scandal”, where he was seen simulating a lewd act with a dog. The player was stood down from all club duties and was subsequently fined $125K and suspended for 8 weeks. This sanction is reportedly the biggest financial punishment ever handed out in the NRL competition. Based on this case, which saw a professional athlete significantly sanctioned for behaviours that brought the sport into disrepute, argue the case for the either the importance of rehabilitation and education or sanctioning and discipline, when dealing with potential mental health-related issues. In your response focus on the following issues: 1. Outline the nature of the case, the behaviours displayed and the potential mental health-related issues. 2. Discuss the sanction that was handed out to the player and outline whether you believe it to be a fair or harsh penalty and why. 3. If you were consulted on this case to develop and implement a rehabilitation plan, what would your plan be and why would this approach be a better option than the sanction that was determined and enforced? Answer: Introduction: It is important for sportspersons to uphold decent off-field behavior; otherwise, they are bound to face serious repercussions as part of the societal norms. An individual might have a mental issue, or indulge in substance abuse that results in the deterioration of one’s mental health. Alcohol has a strong association with psychiatric disorders, but either one factor can precede the other. Antisocial behavior is often linked to a psychotic disorder; hence, when one starts to show signs of this behavior, taking effective measures is paramount. This paper is an analysis of the “lewd dog” scandal on Australian Day by Mitchell Pearce where alcohol and intoxication preceded irrational off-field behavior that is attributed to the biological sequence of events triggered by alcohol consumption. Nature Of Case, Behaviors Displayed, And Potential Mental Health-Related Issues Mitchell Pearce, who has been involved in two scandalous events off the field, and in both incidences, his dishonorable off-field behavior has been linked to alcohol abuse, is the subject of interest (Australian Associated Press 2016). Mitchell Pearce is reported to have manifested antisocial behavior in public irrespective of the fact that he is considered a reputable man. He was involved in alcohol abuse by excessively consuming the substance and displaying negative sexual behavior. Alcohol triggers the alteration of certain brain chemicals and hormones, resulting in the onset of mental problems. Among the various effects that result from alcohol abuse, the one that is relevant to this paper is poor judgment and the manifestation of aggressive and antisocial behaviors, which are believed to mimic externalizing disorders, for example, the antisocial personality disorder (Shivani, Goldsmith, and Anthenelli 2002). ASPD refers to a set of attitudes and behaviors that show disregard for other people’s rights and a lack of empathy towards the experiences of others. Pearce disregarded the rights of women and animals to seek sexual pleasure. In addition, he behaved in a disgusting manner by urinating on a coach. A footage of Pearce’s disrepute sexual behavior shows his irrational and imprudent behavior of seeking sexual satisfaction in a humiliating manner. First, he makes advances at a woman, and after rejecting him, he turns to a dog. Sanction Handed Out To Pearce Pearce was subjected to a fine of $125,000 and a suspension from eight NRL games to give him time to attend rehabilitation and reflect on his decision-making processes (“Mitchell Pearce fined” 2016). The fine is the heaviest in history, and it is harsh because similar offenses in the past have not been penalized so heavily. On a different note, the fact that his career was not halted is a good thing, but a more elaborate rehabilitation program to overshadow the sanction other than the other way round would have been a better deal. My Plan And Justification The fact that this was not the first time Pearce was found in such a compromising situation indicates that the action taken against him might not be effective. The sanction alone is not effective if it is not followed by an elaborate rehabilitation plan to help Pearce adhere to the recommendations of the rehabilitation services. If I was consulted on this case, I would try to act based on the available evidence. Even though the available evidence is inconsistent, it implies that individuals that manifest antisocial behavior have anomalies in their reward and punishment processing systems (Byrd, Loeber, and Pardini 2017). Hence, the use of sanctions in the case of Pearce might not be an absolute solution considering that alcohol is the triggering factor. Nonetheless, since Pearce’s antisocial behavior is still in its budding stage, reasonable sanctions might be effective (McArdle 2011 pp. 11). I would, therefore, integrate a lighter sanction and reinforce the rehabilitation program to ensure its success in real-time settings. The rehabilitation program would go on even after returning to the club. Therapeutic goals, which would be formulated with the patient, would guide the program. Individualized counseling and group sessions would be used to establish the risk factors and help individuals learn from each other on how to cope with their problems. Pharmacological approaches would only be used if the non-pharmacological approaches do not help Pearce to change. An evaluation would be determined by evaluating Pearce behavior in real-time situations, especially in situations with a similar environment like that of Australian Day. The only difference is that this time around, I would be present to observe his behavior and intervene if there were signs that things would get out of hand (Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health 2016). Conclusion: In conclusion, it is apparent that just like any other organization, Sydney Rosters is bound by distinct rules and code of conduct that informs sportspersons of their rights as well as what an organization expects of them. Mitchell Pearce acted contrary to the expectations of the club and the general public. Therefore, a sanction was imposed alongside a stand down from eight games as a way of enabling him to continue with his rehabilitation clinic. References: Australian Associated Press. (2016) ‘Mitchell Pearce apologises for Dog Video Scandal, admits Alcohol Problem.’ The Guardian [online] 29 January. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jan/29/mitchell-pearce-apologises-for-dog-video-scandal-admits-alcohol-problem [Accessed 3 October 2018]. Byrd, A. L., Loeber, R., & Pardini, D. A. (2014) ‘Antisocial Behavior, Psychopathic Features and Abnormalities in Reward and Punishment Processing in Youth.’ Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review 17 (2), 125–156. DOI: 10.1007/s10567-013-0159-6. Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health (2016) Guidance for Commissioners of Rehabilitation for People with Complex Mental Health Needs [online]. Available from: https://www.jcpmh.info [Accessed 2 October 2018]. McArdle, A. (2011) More Effective Responses to Anti-social Behavior. London: Home Office. ‘Mitchell Pearce fined, suspended for eight NRL games over Sydney Roosters star’s lewd video scandal.’ (2016) ABC [online] 3 March. Available from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-03/mitchell-pearce-fined-suspended-sydney-roosters-lewd-video/7217550 [Accessed 2 October 2018]. Shivani, R., Goldsmith, J., and Anthenelli, R. M. (2002) Alcoholism and Psychiatric Disorders [online]. Available from: https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh26- 2/90-98.htm [Accessed 3 October 2018].

PUB272 Health Promotion Settings And Advocacy

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