Dr. Poppy DesClouds is a Senior Researcher at the Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions. In this role, she leads applied research, quality standard development, and knowledge mobilization efforts in the child and youth mental health and addictions sector. Dr. DesClouds also studies athlete well-being and performance, with a particular focus on the intersection of technology use, well-being, and performance experiences. She has worked in the sport and performance domain as a Mental Performance Consultant for over 10 years, and has contributed to applied research on collaborative care, athlete mental health, mental performance consulting, and young high performers. Dr. DesClouds’ current applied work and research is focused in the areas of mental performance, athlete mental health, and child and youth mental health and addictions.
Other Areas of Research: Quality Standards; Technology Use; Sport Psychology; Self-Regulation
Research Projects
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The Self-Regulation and Smartphone Usage Model: A Framework to Help Athletes Manage Smartphone Usage
23/01/2023
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Fearless in Physical Activity: The Implications of Community-Based Physical Activity Interventions on Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Congenital Heart Disease
28/12/2022
Fearless Physical Activity (Fearless) events were created to promote safe and health-appropriate community-based physical activity for individuals with CHD. Fearless events were designed to be fun and to enhance physical activity confidence—providing children, adolescents, and adults living with CHD the opportunity to do physical activity “without fear” (i.e., worrying about health-related limitations). Fearless thus provides a framework for sport and recreation leaders who wish to promote physical activity amongst individuals with CHD. This study sought to: (1) determine the perceptions of individuals with CHD towards physical activity and Fearless events, (2) evaluate the impact of Fearless on intrinsic motivation, perceived competence, and current physical activity behaviour, and (3) utilize participant perceptions and outcomes to inform best practices for community-based physical activity opportunities for those with CHD. We hypothesized that Fearless event participation would increase positive perceptions of physical activity.
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Smartphones and Varsity Athletes: A Complicated Relationship
06/01/2021
The aim of this study was to explore varsity athletes' positive and negative smartphone experiences, with the intent of providing insight into how they are using their smartphones and how their usage is impacting their experience of being a varsity athlete. Results show that smartphones were highly used by the sample of varsity athletes, with 81% of them self-identifying as being moderate or heavy users, relying on their device throughout the day.