Steroid hormones and psychological responses to soccer matches: Insights from a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the perturbations in hormonal and psychological homeostasis in response to soccer match-play. These perturbations were explored according to match outcome (i.e., win versus loss), gender, type of contest (i.e., competitive versus non-competitive fixtures) and competitive level (i.e., novice versus high-level). The review was conducted according to the Population/Intervention or Exposure/Comparison/Outcome(s) (PICO) criteria and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Match outcome, type of contest and competitive levels were moderator variables in the examined steroid hormones responses to a soccer match-play. Different testosterone responses were seen between match winners (increase) and losers (decrease) when compared to pre-game or baseline values (p <0.05), whilst no changes could be detected for cortisol relative to match outcome in female soccer players. Males (Δ% = 6.26; ES = 0.28) demonstrated a marginally lower increase in testosterone levels when compared to females (Δ% = 49.16; ES = 1.00), though not statistically significant. Females (Δ% = 162.7; ES = 0.98) did not demonstrate elevated cortisol match response compared to males (Δ% = 34.60; ES = 1.20). Male novice soccer match-play increased cortisol levels compared to high-level soccer match-play (Q = 18.08, p<0.001). Competitive soccer matches increased cortisol levels compared to non-competitive fixtures (i.e., collegiate tournament). Additionally, competitive levels moderate the relationship between a soccer match and testosterone levels (p <0.001), regardless of gender differences. From the presented systematic review and meta-analysis it appears (1) cortisol changes are associated with cognitive anxiety in starter female soccer players, while (2) testosterone changes are associated with changes in mood state in females and social connectedness in male soccer players. This apparent psycho-physiological relationship may proffer the opportunity for targeted intervention(s) by practitioners to favorably influence performance and/or recovery agendas. Further mechanistic and/or applied evidence is required in this regard in addition to further data sets from females.

Basal Mild Dehydration Increase Salivary Cortisol After a Friendly Match in Young Elite Soccer Players

“…Therefore, the greater chronological age, hence greater training experience of soccer players in the study of Penailillo et al (2015) , could have induced a reduced hormone response during a competitive match compared to the less experienced U17 soccer players recruited in our study. In addition, several other factors have been identified to play a role in the hormone response to a soccer match ( Kobayashi and Miyazaki, 2015 ; Slimani et al, 2017 ).…”

“…Hormonal response to a soccer match is a hot topic, with anabolic (i.e., testosterone [T]) and catabolic (i.e., cortisol [C]) hormones potentially influencing the performance and health status of the athlete ( Slimani et al, 2017 ). At the same time, their ratio testosterone:cortisol (T:C) is considered a physiological stress indicator associated to overtraining ( Hayes et al, 2015 ).…”

Competition Seriousness and Competition Level Modulate Testosterone and Cortisol Responses in Soccer Players

“…The hormonal stress response is modulated by different contextual factors that would induce different responses depending on the psychological interpretation of the subject of the environment. Factors as motivation, the seriousness of the competition and competition level are main parameters that would modulate the hormonal stress response, being these parameters, poor join studied [17].…”

Stress, Professional Lifestyle, and Telomere Biology in Elite Athletes: A Growing Trend in Psychophysiology of Sport

“…The type sport and competition, competition season periodization, and intensity of exercise, along with considering gender and age, can increase the generalizability of future studies. In this regard, recent reviews and observational experiences ( Ehrlenspiel and Strahler, 2012 ; Slimani et al, 2017 ; van Paridon et al, 2017 ) have indicated that some variables are associated with the psychophysiological changes to competition in elite athletes (e.g., challenge of transfer to the new team and club, location of competition, habituation to stressful competitions, poor sleep, referee and rivals, gender, type of sport, social interaction with fans, media and organizations, warm-up and preparing for competition, coaching styles, social support, expectations, preparation levels, success and failure profiles, commitments and plans, etc.). Each of these variables is worth investigating in the field of telomere biology in future studies.…”