Prevalence of COVID-19 Anxiety in Division I Student-Athletes

in Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology

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Victoria Sanborn Kent State University

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Lauren Todd Kent State University

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Hanna Schmetzer Kent State University

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Nasha Manitkul-Davis Kent State University

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John Updegraff Kent State University

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John Gunstad Kent State University

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2020-0057
Keywords:
coronavirus; depression; sports; stress; worry
First Published Online:
07 May 2021
In Print:
Volume 15: Issue 2
Page Range:
162–176
Restricted access

Anxiety and depressive symptoms are prevalent in athletes. The pandemic of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) may increase risk for symptoms due to fear of exposure during competition or uncertainty regarding participation. The current study examined the prevalence of COVID-19 anxiety in 437 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I student-athletes and its association with psychological symptoms. Only 0.2% of participants endorsed COVID-19 anxiety symptoms above cutoff. COVID-19 anxiety did not change after postponement of fall sports or differ between persons competing in different seasons. However, higher levels of COVID-19 anxiety were significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Though student-athletes generally reported low levels of psychological symptoms, females endorsed significantly higher levels than males. Low levels of COVID-19 anxiety in student-athletes may reflect protective factors (e.g., health knowledge, emotion regulation) or the tendency for this population to minimize psychological symptoms. Further investigations on the psychological impact of COVID-19 in athletes is needed.

Sanborn, Todd, Schmetzer, Manitkul-Davis, Updegraff, and Gunstad are with the Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA. Gunstad is also with the Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA.

Sanborn (vsanborn@kent.edu) is corresponding author.
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