Publications
Fun fact: Dr. Ayala was trained as a traditional academic researcher and always assumed she’d become a professor. She did the professor thing for a few years, but feel DEEPLY in love with sport psychology practice in 2018, and went all in with sport psychology in 2020. However, she still loves to nerd out on all things research and statistics—so she does! Here are some of her recent publications:
The demands of sport create psychological and physical challenges for athletes, making it essential to understand what factors contribute to mental health and performance optimization in sport. The purpose of this mixed-methods investigation was to develop a conceptual model for mental health and performance of North American athletes.
Competitive cycling is a sport with limited levels of diversity, particularly concerning gender. Women and gender diverse cyclists are likely to experience actions from others that reveal underlying assumptions based on their gender, race, or other cultural identities. This mixed-methods investigation used feminist theory and a transformative paradigm to highlight the experiences of women and gender diverse cyclists in a male-dominated sport. The authors explored the nature of microaggressions, perceived underlying messages, responses to such actions, and the feelings provoked.
Despite the prevalence and benefits of extracurricular involvement in sports for youth, few scholars have conceptualized youth mental health and development within the context of sport environments. The aim of this investigation was to create a visual framework of actions, thoughts, and feelings that promote mental health and development for youth athletes.
In general, cycling is a sport and recreational activity with far fewer women than men, particularly in racing. The purpose of this mixed methods investigation was to identify experiences that affect participation for women and gender diverse (WGD) athletes in competitive cycling.