Impacts Of Covid-19 On Chinese Youth Winter Athletes: Psychological Factors And Coping Strategies

PURPOSE: To identify the factors affecting athletes’ mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and providing valuable insights. METHODS: This study included 204 youth athletes across 12 winter sports in China (15.8 ± 2.5 years, 47.6% male). The study used a cross-sectional research method based on the SOJUMP platform to distribute electronic questionnaires, including GAD-7, CES-D10, ABQ, and PSSS test, investigated diverse genders, ages, sports, competitive levels, training settings, and coping mechanisms in 204 teenagers participating in different winter sports in China. The study evaluated anxiety, depression, psychological exhaustion, and social support impacts. RESULTS: (1) The findings indicated that 131 (64.22%) of the survey sample exhibited symptoms of anxiety, 29 (14.22%) had significant depressive symptoms, and 30 (14.71%) had a high level of psychological fatigue during the COVID-19 Pandemic. (2) With a focus on females (depression 16.8%, anxiety 66.3%, and fetigue 15%), younger age groups(depression 14.6%, anxiety 73.2%), skill-based exercise that require higher psychological quality (freestyle mental fatigue 66.6%), and endurance-based exercise (biathlon anxiety 93.9%) that require higher will quality, as well as athletes at the intermediate or elite level of competition (depression 19.5%). (3) Athletes must maintain adequate sleeping circumstances, social support (negative evaluation R = -0.40, reduce depressive R = -0.40) —particularly psychological assistance from coaches (negative evaluation R = -0.55, mental fatigue R = -0.57) —and the atmosphere of their sports team in order to preserve their mental health throughout the pandemic. CONCLUSION: Athlete characteristics and external environment are crucial for athletes to maintain psychological well-being during the COVID-19 epidemic. Additionally, timely psychological interventions for sports teams are beneficial for athletes to maintain physical and mental health and achieve high levels of athletic performance.