Structural and functional characteristics of stress resistance in sports amid coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Abstract

The aim of this study was to carry out a comparative analysis of the ef-fectiveness of coping strategies among female track-and-field students of the first-third study years with different aggressiveness levels on the back of the coronavirus disease 2019-provoked self-isolation. The total sample of respondents comprised 360 female students majoring in Physical Education and Sports. All of them were enrolled in an online survey using the Anxiety, Frustration, Aggressiveness, and Rigidity methodology and Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced invento-ry. The study revealed that first-year students with high levels of ag-gressiveness focused on emotions and their expression under stress more often than first-years with moderate aggressiveness levels. Simi-larly, an increased concentration on negative emotions display was in-herent to respondents of the second study year. The transition from the first to the third study year was marked with consolidation and strength-ening of negative coping strategies used by female track-and-field ath-letes. This represents one of the central reasons for the deterioration of their psycho-emotional state during the quarantine. The most widely applied stress response tactics of female students of all 3 study years were associated with positive thinking, active coping, and planning (P≤0.05 with other coping strategies). Resort to psychoactive substanc-es was noted less frequently (P≤0.01 with other strategies). As for the emotional component, increased attention to emotions’ expression and seeking of instrumental and emotional support were also chosen rela-tively often. The problematic issue needs further investigation in order to analyze whether stressful conditions persist or have decreased.