The Perception of Volleyball Student-Athletes: Evaluation of Well-Being, Sport Workload, Players' Response, and Academic Demands

• Published in: Healthcare (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 11; p. 1538
• Main Authors: Vavassori, Roberto, Moreno, María Perla, Ureña Espa, Aurelio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 25.05.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Analysis; Athletes; Beliefs, opinions and attitudes; Coaches & managers; College athletes; Data collection; Exercise; health; Health aspects; lifestyle changes; monitoring; Participation; Perceptions; physical activity; Physical fitness; Psychological aspects; Questionnaires; School environment; Stress (Psychology); Student athletes; Teams; Teenage athletes; Volleyball; Volleyball players; wellness; Workloads; Spain; health; lifestyle changes; monitoring; wellness; physical activity
• DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11111538
• ISSN: 2227-9032

Physical activity has been shown to improve the health and well-being of students, athletes and the general population, especially when it is properly monitored and responses are evaluated. However, data are mostly gathered without considering a valuable element, participants' perceptions. Therefore, the objective was to know the perception of volleyball student-athletes when using different monitoring and response tools that assess well-being, workloads, responses to workloads, and academic demands. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with female volleyball student-athletes ( = 22) was used to know players' perceptions when using a wellness/well-being questionnaire, session ratings of perceived exertion (sRPE), and countermovement jumps (CMJ), and consider academic demands. Results show that the wellness questionnaire and sRPE increased student-athletes' awareness of well-being and readiness to perform, improved self-evaluation, self-regulation, and self-demand. However, motivation and overcoming challenges were based on the CMJ. Academic demands affected 82% of student-athletes, altering stress, fatigue, and sleep quality. Nonetheless, sport was seen as an activity that helped with academic commitments. Therefore, the wellness questionnaires and the sRPE facilitated self-awareness and positive dispositions toward self-regulation. Simultaneous intensive academic demands and training can produce mutual positive effects if the variables of physical and mental loads are harmonized in the critical academic and sports periods.