Examination of Perceived Stress, Aggression and Anger Levels in Physically Disabled Athletes

This study aimed to compare the perceived stress, aggression, and anger levels of physically disabled athletes according to age, gender, perceived income level, years of athletic experience, and type of sport (individual or team), and to examine the relationships among these variables. The study employed a relational screening model and was conducted with 149 physically disabled athletes aged 18 years and older who were actively involved in sports in private clubs across Turkey. Data were collected using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Sports Aggression and Anger Scale (SAAS). The results showed that anger and SAAS scores differed significantly according to type of sport, while aggression levels differed significantly by age group, gender, perceived income level, and years of athletic experience (p<0.05). No significant group differences were found in perceived stress levels across demographic variables. A low-level positive relationship was observed between anger and aggression (r = 0.315, p<0.001), and strong positive relationships between anger and SAAS score (r = 0.790, p<0.001) as well as between aggression and SAAS score (r = 0.831, p<0.001). Perceived stress was not significantly correlated with aggression or anger (p>0.05). These findings highlight the importance of considering demographic and sport-related factors in understanding aggression and anger among physically disabled athletes, while suggesting that perceived stress may remain stable across different athlete characteristics.