The effects of COVID-19 pandemic on perceived stress and psychobiosocial states in Italian athletes

Fronso, Selenia di; Costa, Sérgio Hofmeister de Almeida Martins; Montesano, Cristina; Gruttola, Francesco Di; Ciofi, Edoardo Giorgio; Morgilli, Luana; Robazza, Claudio; Bertollo, Maurizio

doi:10.1080/1612197x.2020.1802612

Cited by 180 publications

(190 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

145

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This finding is in line with the predictions about the negative consequences of confinement (Brooks et al, 2020;Papaioannou et al, 2020), and the importance of an adequate dual career balance for mental health (Schinke et al, 2017). Similar results were found in early evidence exploring the impact of COVID-19 lockdown in similar samples (di Fronso et al, 2020;Pillay et al, 2020). However, Clemente-Suárez et al (2020) reported no effects on Spanish Olympic athletes' mental health during the first month of confinement.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Impact of lockdown on athletes' life-domains was assessed using the Holistic Monitoring Questionnaire (HMQ; De Brandt et al, 2019). This questionnaire contains 11 items that evaluate the perceived impact of certain events, in this case the COVID-19 lockdown, on athletes' different life-spheres (e.g., "Please, rate the impact that the COVID-19 situation is having on your different life domains").…”

Section: Negative Impact Of Covid-19 Lockdown On Life-spheresmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Where Did All the Sport Go? Negative Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Life-Spheres and Mental Health of Spanish Young Athletes

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During the 2020, the pandemic caused by the massive spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (COVID-19) resulted in a global crisis. In Spain, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a lockdown for almost 100 days and forced the sudden stop of sport practices and competitions. This interruption had a negative impact on high-level athletes’ mental health. However, its impact on young athletes, who are intrinsically developing a high-demanding dual career, remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed at (1) describing and characterizing the general impact that COVID-19 lockdown had on Spanish young athletes’ life-spheres and mental health, and (2) identifying different profiles of athletes regarding life-conditions and sport-related variables. A sample of 544 young athletes (M = 15.9; SD = 1.51) participated in this study. Measures included life-conditions and sport-related information along with the Holistic Monitoring Questionnaire (HMQ) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). After the screening and description of the data, profiles were defined using a two-level cluster analysis using HMQ and GHQ-12 subscales. We explored differences in demographic and sports information between profiles using MANOVA and subsequent ANOVA. Results suggest a general negative impact of COVID-19 on young athletes’ life-spheres and mental health, but with three different clusters regarding the degree of such impact. Cluster 1 grouped the 54.78% of the sample and exhibited a low negative impact of COVID-19 lockdown on life-spheres and few mental health issues. Cluster 2 grouped a 29.96% of the participants who reported a medium negative impact on life-spheres and moderate mental health issues. Cluster 3 represented 15.26% of the sample including participants who showed a high negative impact of the COVID-19 lockdown with high mental health issues. The paradigmatic participant in this third group would be a female student-athlete from a medium or low socioeconomic status with high academic demands and poor or inexistent training conditions during lockdown. Current findings emphasize the need to pay attention to young athletes’ mental health and suggest possible influencing contextual variables. We suggest some applied recommendations aimed at helping clubs and sports institutions to mitigate the negative effects of such difficult circumstances on athletes’ mental health.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Negative Impact Of Covid-19 Lockdown On Life-spheresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Where Did All the Sport Go? Negative Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Life-Spheres and Mental Health of Spanish Young Athletes

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In a similar vein, di Fronso et al (2020) have examined the perceived stress and the psychobiosocial states of competitive Italian athletes representing individual (e.g., tennis, golf, swimming; n = 539) and team (e.g., soccer, basketball, rugby; n = 593) sports, a month after the beginning of the Italian lockdown. The findings suggested that compared with the preceding period (i.e., data was generated from Italian norms of these factors), the COVID-19 crisis was associated with athletes' higher levels of perceived stress and dysfunctional psychobiosocial states, and lower levels of functional psychobiosocial states.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic as a Change-Event in Sport Performers’ Careers: Conceptual and Applied Practice Considerations

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Coronavirus experience (CE) presents a highly challenging period for sport performers (e.g., athletes, coaches, referees), with potential effects on their lives and career trajectories. In this article, we initially conceptualize the CE using the scheme of change for sport psychology practice (Samuel and Tenenbaum, 2011a). Within this framework, the CE is understood as a longitudinal, multifaceted, unpredicted, non-controlled change-event, with four distinct stages: (a) a pre-Coronavirus stage with unique career contextual conditions (i.e., stable engagement or a transitional period), (b) Coronavirus stage-A accompanied by instability and confusion, emotional response, and cognitive appraisal, (c) Coronavirus stage-B characterized by active coping or regression, and (d) Coronavirus stage-C; instability endures or decreases, depending on career trajectory. The CE presents sport performers with modifications in various dimensions, including physical and physiological, motor skills, psychosocial and self-identity, relationships, performance and achievement, motivation and aspirations, organizational-occupational, and micro-and macro-cultural issues. Sport performers can exhibit several emotional responses (i.e., positive, negative, neutral), and consequential coping endeavors. The development of the change process is underlined by key decisions, manifested in sport performers' attempts to implement responsive change in these dimensions (e.g., adapt their diets, sleep routines, and exercise regimen). The second part of the article discusses applied practice considerations, presenting various techniques and methodologies which practitioners can apply while consulting from a change-based perspective. Ethical issues pertaining to the formation of effective therapeutic relationships during this period are also assessed. The conclusions offer future avenues for researchers and practitioners when attempting to evaluate and cope with this global phenomenon.

show abstract

“…However, how this worrisome situation might affect also athletes' emotional regulation and their Athletic Identity is still to be explored, not knowing when it will be safe to return to athletic participation after the lockdown situation is overcome. "Moreover, after investigating perceived stress and psychobiosocial states scholars suggested to explore specific emotion regulation and coping strategies of athletes in this time of adversities [4]. "…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Athletes and adversities: athletic identity and emotional regulation in time of COVID-19

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background The COVID-19 pandemic impacted on the sporting field, with athletes constrained in home isolation without the possibility to train and compete in their usual environments. This situation has been investigated within the theoretical frameworks of athletic identity and cognitive emotion regulation. Objectives The objectives of our investigation were to: (a) validate the athletic identity measurement scale (AIMS) for use in Italian language; and (b) explore differences by gender, typology of sport (individual vs. team), and competitive level (elite vs. non-elite) in athletic identity and in cognitive emotion regulation during the Covid-19 lockdown period. Methods To achieve these objectives, the reliability and construct validity of the Italian version of the AIMS have been tested in Study 1. Multivariate and univariate analyses were run to evaluate differences between different groups of athletes in Study 2. Results Results from Study 1 suggest a 3-factor higher order model of athletic identity. Results from Study 2 highlight that, during this lockdown period, elite athletes and team sports athletes show higher athletic identity. Cognitive emotion regulation strategies are different for gender and for competitive level. Finally, athletes with higher athletic identity tend to ruminate and catastrophize more. Conclusions The present multi-study paper contributes to the theoretical field with a validated measure of athletic identity in Italian language. It also provides some practical implications that could apply in this situation of isolation and can be extended to cases such as those of injury or illness.

show abstract

The effects of COVID-19 pandemic on perceived stress and psychobiosocial states in Italian athletes

Cited by 180 publications

References 43 publications

Where Did All the Sport Go? Negative Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Life-Spheres and Mental Health of Spanish Young Athletes

Where Did All the Sport Go? Negative Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Life-Spheres and Mental Health of Spanish Young Athletes

The 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic as a Change-Event in Sport Performers’ Careers: Conceptual and Applied Practice Considerations

Athletes and adversities: athletic identity and emotional regulation in time of COVID-19

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About