International orienteering experts’ consensus on the definition, development, cause, impact and methods to reduce mental fatigue in orienteering: A Delphi study

ABSTRACT

Orienteering is an outdoor activity wherein participants use a map and compass to locate control points and choose the quickest path to the next control point in a natural environment. Attentional focus, rapid decision-making, and high aerobic fitness may influence orienteering performance. Therefore, this research aimed to seek international orienteering expert consensus regarding the definition, development, causes, influences and methods to reduce mental fatigue (MF) in orienteering based on practical experience. Following ethical approval, a three-round Delphi survey was conducted online with twenty-four orienteering coaches and athletes (or former athletes) from 10 different countries with international orienteering competition experience. The threshold of consensus was ≥ 70% agreement among respondents. The experts agreed that MF exists in daily life and orienteering with a substantial negative effect on their conscious decision-making performance and psychological responses. The experts disagreed that the form of MF that athletes experienced in orienteering training are similar to the competition. However, there was no agreement that MF would impact endurance and high-speed running performance during orienteering. This research refines the definition of MF and summarises the distinctions in what causes MF in orienteering training and competition, implying that MF should be addressed separately.

KEYWORDS:

• Cognitive fatigue
• decision-making
• map reading
• mental exertion
• navigation

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their sincere thanks and gratitude to all the expert panel who have participated in this study. The following orienteering experts have completed at least one round of survey and agreed to be identified but it does not indicate they agree with the results and conclusion generated by the authors. We acknowledge and appreciate the following people in alphabetical order of surname: Andrew Barnett, Lucas Basset, Helen Bridle, Hakan Carlsson, Megan Carter-Davies, Maria Crippa Chiara, Jonas Egger, Jason Falconer, Cécile Foltzer, Hector Haines, Egil Johansen, Veronika Kalinina, Quentin Moulet, Jon Musgrave, Stefano Raus. We are also grateful to Dr. Martine Verhuel for her helpful advice on setting up the Delphi survey.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability

In respect to the confidentiality and anonymity of the responses, the data are not publicly available.

Authorship contribution

HKNL: conceptualization, manuscript writing (first draft), participant recruitment, survey distribution, data collection, data analysis, development of the survey, manuscript review and editing

JS: conceptualization, act as 2^nd reviewer to review, edit and approve the survey, provide guidance on data analysis, manuscript review and editing

AT: conceptualization, act as 2^nd reviewer to review, edit and approve the survey, provide guidance on data analysis, manuscript review and editing

PM: participant recruitment, act as 3^rd reviewer to review, edit and approve the survey, manuscript review

GG: participant recruitment, act as 3^rd reviewer to review, edit and approve the survey, manuscript review

HR: act as 3^rd reviewer to review, edit and approve the survey, manuscript review

SP: conceptualization, act as 2^nd reviewer to review, edit and approve the survey, provide guidance on data analysis, manuscript review and editing

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.