Coping with the COVID‐19 pandemic by Paralympic athletes preparing for elite sport events: A longitudinal study

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports Vol. 33; no. 4; pp. 512 - 520
• Main Authors: Urbański, Piotr Kazimierz, Rogoza, Radosław, Brewer, Britton, Tasiemski, Tomasz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Denmark Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Anxiety; Athletes with disabilities; Coping; COVID-19; depression; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Mental depression; Mental health; Pandemics; Para-Athletes; Retrospective Studies; training performance; COVID-19; anxiety; training performance; mental health; depression; athletes with disabilities; coping
• ISSN: 0905-7188; 1600-0838
• DOI: 10.1111/sms.14270

Introduction This study investigates the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on mental health, coping styles and their relationship, and training opportunities in elite athletes with disabilities (AwD) preparing for national and international sport events during a ten‐month observation period. Methods The study covered four time points in 3‐month intervals, one retrospective, and three times during the 10 months of the pandemic period with diversified numbers of average new infections per day: A—pre‐pandemic, B—third wave of the pandemic (mean = 15 681), C—decrease of the pandemic (mean = 102), and D—fourth wave of the pandemic (mean = 22 591). Main outcome measures included the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results The models regarding changes in anxiety (F(3,72) = 22.43; p < 0.001; partial η2 = 0.48) and depression (F(3,72) = 23.82; p < 0.001; partial η2 = 0.50) over the four time points of examination were significant. The pattern of relationship between coping styles and mood changes during COVID‐19 pandemic periods, that is, a sudden increase in anxiety during dynamic growth of infections (waves of a pandemic) and a steady increase in depression over the course of the pandemic was not found. The difference in planned and actual training decreased significantly over time (p < 0.001). Conclusions During the transitionary times of the COVID‐19 pandemic, both mental health and training opportunities of AwD were at increased risk. Individual coping styles used by AwD were insufficient resources to cope with the extreme stress caused by the COVID‐19 pandemic. Their mental health should be monitored in pandemics and similar situations to ensure appropriate and timely organizational and psychological intervention.