We aimed to explore whether the mental health status of professional athletes was affected by the isolation period in which organized sports were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of ...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychological state of professional male football players who were infected by COVID-19. Method: The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale were sent to players’ smartphones by sharing a link to the questionnaire. A total of 523 professional football players aged between 18–38 years from 93 different sports clubs participated in the study. The players were divided into 2 groups according to Sars-COV-2 PCR test results. Results: Depression, anxiety, stress, and psychological distress scores of football players who were infected by COVID-19 were higher compared to players who were not infected by COVID-19 (all p < 0.001). Depression, stress, and psychological distress scores were higher for football players with higher loss of income than players with lower loss of income (p = 0.017, p = 0.007, p = 0.005, respectively). There were significant differences in anxiety, depression, and psychological distress scores in favor of the 18–22-year age group (p = 0.002, p = 0.009, p = 0.004, respectively). Conclusion: COVID-19 infection negatively affects the psychological states of football players. The psychological states of professional football players who were infected by COVID-19 should be monitored closely and psychological support should be provided.

Objective: The aim of this study was to test the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ). Material and Method: The APSQ, which consists of 10 items and 3 sub-dimensions (self-regulation difficulty, performance concerns, and externalized coping) and assesses athlete-specific psychological distress, was administered to a total of 565 elite athletes (247 females, and 318 males). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess construct validity, and Cronbach alpha reliability analysis was used to determine internal consistency. Concurrent validity of the APSQ with the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales-21 and the Kessler Psychological Stress Scale-10 was also tested. Results: Findings for construct validity were consistent with three-factor structure of the original questionnaire (RMSEA=0.05, SRMR=0.03, NFI=0.94, CFI=0.96, GFI=0.97). The Cronbach’s α coefficient of the whole scale was 0.83, and the Cronbach’s α coefficients of three sub-dimensions were 0.75, 0.69, and 0.50 separately. Conclusion: Findings demonstrate that the Turkish adaptation of the APSQ has sufficient psychometric properties for widespread use, assessing key dimensions of psychological strain experienced by elite athletes.

Purpose: To assess whether adolescent athletes were affected or not in terms of mental health by the long duration at home linked to isolation enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The study included 940 team athletes, 274 individual athletes, and 131 nonathlete controls aged 12–17 years. Demographic data were obtained with a form including questions about age, sex, sports type, and physical activity status (type, duration, and frequency) during the isolation period. Participants completed the Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale-13, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. Results: Among participants, 88% did not meet the physical activity recommendations for children and adolescents, while 42.8% felt depressed. Depressive symptoms were present in 38.1% of boys and 59.7% of girls, with girls (6.4%) having higher posttraumatic stress symptoms than boys (3.5%). Among athletes, depressive and anxiety symptoms were lower compared with nonathlete controls (P < .01). Posttraumatic stress symptoms were lower among athletes than nonathlete controls for girls (team vs control, P = .006; individual vs control, P = .002) but similar for boys (P > .05). The depression (P = .518), state (P = .866), and trait anxiety (P = .507) symptoms were similar between team athletes and individual athletes. Conclusion: Though adolescent athletes’ depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms were significantly lower than nonathlete controls, athletes also had high depression levels. These findings show the need to take precautions to protect the psychological health of not only nonathletes, but also athletes in the pandemic period.

Objective: Although the psychological states of athletes were negatively affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lack of studies examining the psychological impact on athletes according to age, sports discipline, and contact requirement of the sport. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on elite athletes according to age, sport discipline (team-individual), and contact requirements of the sports (contact and non-contact). Material and methods: Three questionnaires (Depression anxiety stress scale-21, Impact of events scale (IES), International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ)) were sent to participants’ smartphones, six weeks after professional football leagues were postponed. The online survey was completed by 440 athletes and 126 non-athlete volunteers. Athletes were divided into three groups as follows; team sports, individual contact, and individual non-contact-sports. Also, each group was subdivided into two age groups as youth and adult. Results: Depression, anxiety, and stress scores for the team sports were significantly lower than individual contact-sports (p<0.01 each) and individual non-contact-sports (p=0.02, p<0.01, p<0.01, respectively). IES score for the team sports was significantly lower than the individual contact sports, individual non-contact sports, and non-athlete volunteers (p0.05). Conclusion: Mental health status of team sport athletes were relatively protected, whereas, individual contact sports athletes were highly affected. The psychological states of individual contact athletes should be monitored closely, and necessary psychosocial support should be provided to create coping strategies.

Having vitamin D levels within normal limits is important for bone and muscle health and its deficiency may increase the risk of injury. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whe...