Healthy Practice of Female Soccer and Futsal: Identifying Sources of Stress, Anxiety and Depression

Abstract

Abstract:The aim of this study was to examine the post-injury psychological impact looking to avoid sources of health issues. We have analyzed differences in the stress, anxiety, and depression levels between male and female football players who have suffered at least one injury during the last season played, with respect to similar players who have not been injured. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. The participants were 187 football players and data on the player's injuries were collected. A self-reported questionnaire collected number, type, and severity of injuries sustained during the previous sports season (twelve months), and also the player's current situation, being injured or not injured. To evaluate the psychological variables, the DASS-21 questionnaire was used. Results indicated that the male injured players presented anxiety levels higher than those who were non-injured. When we observe the female players' data, the stress levels of the non-injured ones are higher than those of the injured players. Regarding the non-injured athletes, results showed that the female non-injured players presented values in anxiety higher than those corresponding to the non-injured male players. Thus, sport injury affects mental health issues such as anxiety and stress, and in a different way regarding gender.

Female Soccer Players’ Psychological Profile: Differences between Professional and Amateur Players

“…In this sense, the findings of this study have pointed out that, although the learning of psychological techniques and strategies may be fundamental for both professional and amateur players, it is much more necessary for professionals. These results are consistent with different studies on the role of psychological training programs [43,44].…”

“…Empirical evidence has shown that stress is a variable that can affect not only sports performance, but also other aspects, such as health (physical and psychological), well-being, and satisfaction with sports practice [42,43]. In this sense, the findings of this study have pointed out that, although the learning of psychological techniques and strategies may be fundamental for both professional and amateur players, it is much more necessary for professionals.…”

Psychological Intervention Program to Control Stress in Youth Soccer Players

“…Some authors defend the need to know the psychological profile of the athlete (Pazo et al, 2012) as a starting point to design specific psychological training programs that favor the optimal development of a sports career. Psychological training is another way of sports training that directly affects athletic development; this training must be based, on the one hand, on the learning of psychological skills and strategies that allow the most appropriate coping of different sports situations (Reyes et al, 2012; Portenga et al, 2017; Gross et al, 2018) and, on the other hand, on the promotion of the psychological well-being of the athlete that allows him/her to grow and mature as a person (Romero et al, 2010; Golby and Wood, 2016; Breslin et al, 2017; Olmedilla et al, 2018b). In any case, the psychologist must pursue that the athlete has a better expertise of his skills and psychological strategies, as well as the processes of reflection and decision-making in the different situations of sport and extra-sport (Olmedilla et al, 2018b).…”

Competitive Psychological Disposition and Perception of Performance in Young Female Soccer Players

“…In recent years the number of works that show an especial attention in the study of the relationship between psychological factors and sport performance in female soccer has increased considerably (Danielsen et al, 2017). Specifically, the main psychological factors studied have been self-esteem and anxiety control (Williams, 2017), the prediction of the goal orientations suggesting coach’s specific actions (Granero-Gallegos et al, 2015; Domínguez-Escribano et al, 2017), some mental health indicators as depression and anxiety (Junge and Feddermann-Demont, 2016; Olmedilla et al, 2018a), and mood states (Arroyo del Bosque et al, 2016). Thus, it seems interesting the suggestion made by Rutkowska and Bergier (2015), who emphasized the importance of examining the women soccer players’ psychological profile due to the relevant information derived from this evaluation for improving training programs, primarily in mental training and in soccer players close to the professional level of performance (Martín-García, 2003).…”