Investigating The Influence Of Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown On Perceived Stress, And Coping Strategies Used By Intervarsity Level Athletes In Pakistan

Abstract

Since World War II, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the most massive disruption to the global sporting calendar. All over the world, recreational and professional sporting events on campus have been suspended or delayed. Athletes have been deprived of training in an appropriate atmosphere resulting of the emergency alert, while major events in their sporting careers have also been cancelled. This scenario might contribute to high levels of stress and other emotional issues. The current COVID-19 pandemic situation is a yet another worldwide threat. To minimize the exposure, numerous governments have implemented lockdown and physical distancing measures, which might have adverse impact on people's mental health. The objective of this research was to investigate the link between perceived stress and stress coping strategies in COVID-19 lockdown in a student athletes population (aged 18–28 years) via an online survey (N = 300). The results showed that athletes have face moderate to high level stress and significant negative relationship between athletes' usage of coping techniques p<0.001. The findings will strengthen the literature and help to shape future research into the importance of stress management in stressful situations.