Challenges, burden and emotional impact on Portuguese athletes during COVID-19 pandemic

This study aimed to explore how contextual variables associated with the period of confinement that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic (levels of confinement and of risk of severe COVID-19 disease, and nature of sports setting), can differentiate symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. It also intended to understand the concerns that were most experienced by athletes when resuming their sport practice and how these could be associated with psychopathological indicators. The sample comprised 265 Portuguese athletes who compete in different sports and completed self-reported questionnaires on an online survey that took place during the state of emergency. Results demonstrated that there were differences in psychopathological indicators in terms of the number of hours of training per week, and the type of contact that athletes have with their coach. Also, this study showed that the athletes reported some concerns regarding the resumption of sport practice after the period of social confinement, and that these concerns were associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. This study may contribute in warning the sports community about the impact of contextual variables-related to critical moments of this pandemic. Particularly, sports communities should encourage the preservation of the athlete’s physical activities, as well as supporting coaches in continuing to guide their athlete’s training. This study also has practical implications for psychologists. It seems relevant to address the athletes’ concerns regarding the resumption of their sport and to encourage coping strategies to deal with new challenges. This study aimed to explore how contextual variables associated with the period of confinement during pandemic can differentiate symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. It also intended to understand the concerns that were experienced by athletes when resuming their sport practice and how these could be associated with psychopathological indicators. The sample comprised 265 athletes who completed self-reported questionnaires. Results demonstrated that there were differences in psychopathological indicators in terms of hours of training per week, and the type of contact that athletes have with their coach. Athletes reported concerns regarding the resumption of sport practice, and that were associated with anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms. This study may contribute in warning the sports community about the impact of contextual variables-related to critical moments of this pandemic. Sports communities should encourage the preservation of the athlete’s physical activities, as well as supporting coaches in continuing to guide athlete’s training. O objetivo deste estudo foi explorar como é que variáveis contextuais associadas ao período de confinamento resultante da pandemia COVID-19 (nível de confinamento, risco para contrair doença severa de COVID-19, e ambiente desportivo), podem discriminar sintomas de ansiedade, depressão e stress em atletas. Este estudo pretendeu ainda explorar as preocupações mais experienciadas pelos atletas aquando da retoma da sua prática desportiva, e como é que estas se associam a indicadores psicopatológicos. Participaram neste estudo 265 atletas portugueses de diferentes desportos que completaram, numa plataforma online, medidas de autorrelato durante o período de confinamento. Os resultados demonstraram que existem diferenças nos indicadores psicopatológicos em termos do número de horas de treino por semana e do tipo de contacto que os atletas mantiveram com o seu treinador. Adicionalmente, este estudo demonstrou que os atletas reportam algumas preocupações relativamente à retoma da sua prática desportiva após o período de confinamento, e que estas preocupações foram associadas a maiores níveis de ansiedade, depressão e stress nos atletas. Este estudo parece ter importantes implicações práticas, alertando a comunidade desportiva para o impacto de variáveis ​​contextuais associadas a momentos críticos de pandemia nos atletas. Particularmente, as comunidades desportivas devem encorajar a preservação das rotinas dos atletas, bem como incentivar os treinadores a continuarem a orientar o treino dos seus atletas. Este estudo parece ainda ter implicações práticas para os psicólogos, sugerindo a relevância de abordar as preocupações dos atletas relativas à retoma da sua prática desportiva e promovendo estratégias para lidar com estes novos desafios.