Covid-19 stress levels on returning student-athletes

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of life globally. Collegiate athletes already have more stressors than traditional students and they were being forced to continue their sport with uncertainty on a routine basis. The purpose of this study was to survey the anxiety levels of collegiate athletes on returning to play during the COVID-19 pandemic. 241 Division I, II, and III athletes completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). There were significant gender differences F(1, 204) = 16.65, p<.001 but no differences for school status (e.g. freshman). Division differences were found, F(1, 204) = 5.13, p =.025 with Division III scoring higher (mean = 58.92, sd = 13.19) than Division II (mean = 54.35, sd = 13.37). No other significant differences between divisions were found. Football and volleyball were the only sports where significant differences (p=.023) were found, [F(9, 172)= 3.05, p =.001, Eta-squared = .137]. The mean of the STAI for the entire sample was extremely high (mean= 58.24, sd=13.42) which might account for the lack of differences among the groups. On the other hand, it highlighted the extreme anxiety about having to perform in the middle of a pandemic. Athletes are generally considered hardier than the normal population, yet the anxiety exhibited reported was extremely high.