INVESTIGATION OF THE CONTINUITY OF TRAINING AND MENTAL HEALTH OF ATHLETES DURING SOCIAL ISOLATION IN THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK

Abstract

Purpose: Social distance and isolation measures have been taken to minimize the spread rate of COVID-19, and within these measures, all sports leagues and tournaments have been suspended or canceled. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the training continuity and mental health of athletes during the COVID-19 isolation process and to determine whether they are physically and mentally ready for the next season competitions. Methods: 89 athletes, 17.7 ± 2.72 years old, belonging to different sports branches were included in the study. The training time and mental health of the athletes before and after isolation were questioned through the online questionnaire platform. Results: It was observed that most of the athletes had a decrease in the training time compared to before isolation. When the CES-D scale scores measuring the depression level were examined, the scores of the athletes who thought that their sports performance decreased during the isolation process and were not ready to return to the matches were higher than the individuals who did not think (p<0.01). When Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale measuring the level of anxiety and CES-D scores were examined, the scores of the individuals who were worried about the decrease in their performance in case of COVID-19 infection and who needed psychological support before returning to the competitions were higher than the other individuals (p<0.01). Conclusions: The results showed that athletes needed physical and psychological support by sports professionals, both during the isolation process and before returning to sports competitions.