Well-being and Life Satisfaction of Strength Athletes During War: Role of Individual and Health-Related Determinants

The research aims to identify the determinants of well-being of youth strength athletes taking into account individual parameters (level of stress, anxiety, depression) and contextual parameters (change of place of residence, change of opportunity to train due to war), differences compared to an older age group. The online study was performed on elite strength athletes (N=172) in Ukraine during Russo-Ukrainian war. In addition to demographic characteristics, the survey included question to sports activity, issues related to hostilities, standardized questionnaires to measure life satisfaction (SWLS), perceived stress level (PSS-10), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), physical, mental and social functioning (SF-36). Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis to find association between variables, and building linear regression models. Samples of young and adult athletes that we analyzed did not differ in terms of life satisfaction. Among young athletes there were significantly fewer people with symptoms of stress (67%) and anxiety (25.53%). Three groups of factors that determine the life satisfaction of young Ukrainian athletes can be single out: individual (stress, depression), contextual (change of place of residence or training due to the war), and health-based (general perception of one’s own health and pain sensations). The data highlight the critical importance of mental health monitoring for the overall well-being of athletes. The obtained results can be used to rapidly screen persons in the risk group during a war and further develop individual psychotherapeutic programs to overcome trauma and the consequences of war.