Mood States and Quality of Life in Paralympic Boccia Athletes in the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: Although studies have been conducted in the athlete population during the pandemic, its impacts on Paralympic athletes are still unknown. Objective: To evaluate the mood and quality of life of Paralympic boccia players during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Method: Questionnaires assessing mood, quality of life, and demographic data were sent electronically via social media. The study included 43 athletes from all functional classes (BC1 = 8, BC2 = 12, BC3 = 11, and BC4 = 11) and four regions of Brazil (Northeast = 12, Southeast = 12, Central-West = 3, and South = 17). ANOVA, t test, and similar non-parametric tests were used, with the respective effect sizes (ES). Results: Regarding mood states, BC4 athletes differed from BC1 athletes in the depression subscale score (25.5 vs. 14.5, p = 0.026, ES=1.47). The fatigue subscale score differed between BC4 and BC1 athletes (17.8 vs. 10.4, p = 0.023, ES=1.38) and between BC4 and BC2 athletes (17.8 vs 10.3, p = 0.008, ES=1.32). BC4 athletes had higher total mood disturbance (TMD) values than BC1 (175 vs. 141, p = 0.025, ES=1.35) and BC2 (175 vs.141, p = 0.025, ES=0.97) athletes. Lower stress (18.5 vs.21.8, p = 0.027, ES=0.64) and TMD (148.0 vs 162.0; p = 0.044; ES= 0.53) values were observed among the national level athletes. In terms of quality of life, differences were found between BC4 and BC2 athletes in the psychological health domain (3.73 vs. 4.49, p = 0.024, ES=0.89) and between athletes from the Northeast and South in the environment domain (3.39 vs. 4.18, p=0.030, ES=0.44). Conclusion: BC4 athletes are more susceptible to negative mood and quality-of-life perceptions. Additionally, athletes from the Northeast region may have poorer perceptions of quality of life related to the environment in which they live. Level of evidence III; Retrospective study.

Pandemia Covid-19: a percepção de treinadores da Liga de Basquete Feminino sobre as condições laborais e estresse

“…Importante ressaltar que muitos locais de esportes fecharam durante a pandemia e as pessoas tiveram menos oportunidades de comunicação ao ar livre, de comunicação externa, e em decorrência disso, muitas pessoas, inclusive os atletas tiveram que praticar esportes em casa porque havia o medo de infecções cruzadas (Arruda et al, 2023;Rangel Colmenero, 2023), o que fez com que o entusiasmo das atividades esportivas em grupo diminuísse gradualmente (Camargo-Junior et al, 2020), gerando grandes consequências para a saúde mental, como ansiedade e depressão. Com isso, o papel dos treinadores ganhava ainda mais importância ao ter que, além de se manterem motivados, reinventarem os treinamentos de suas atletas, para que elas também se mantivessem motivadas, e ao mesmo tempo em que estavam isoladas fisicamente, não estivessem tão distantes da sua profissão e prática esportiva.…”

Pain, discomfort and psychobiological factors in wheelchair tennis athletes following COVID-19 lockdowns

“…Due to the high physical and psychological demands of the routines that Paralympic athletes engage in, good sleep quality is necessary for an efficient recovery [11]. However, due to the restrictions imposed by the COV-ID-19 pandemic, the scientific literature does not report information for this context, since the SARS-CoV-2 virus imposed the need to adhere to strategies such as social distancing and cancellation of events [12]. Despite the limited information, investigations have found that the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant effects on the behavior of Paralympic athletes who were on their way to Tokyo, as well as stress and changes in their training patterns [13].…”

Can home-based training influence mood states and quality of life in Paralympic boccia athletes?

“…Before the pandemic, only the study by Barak et al (2016) investigated the effect of playing boules independently or dependent on the use of aids on psychological aspects, including mood and quality of life. More recently, Arruda et al (2022) explored the possible influence of social isolation in these aspects in players of this sport, with greater influence on functional classes BC4 and BC2, with athletes from the Northeast region of Brazil presenting lower indicators of quality of life oriented towards the environment.…”