Unseen Scars: COVID-19 and the Silent Mental Toll on Track Athletes

Abstract

The current study was proposed to elevate knowledge on the suffering effects of pandemic shutdown amongst athletes and recommend implementing precise well-being protocols during the activity recommencement, bearing in mind gender, type of sports, and competitive level. The goal of the study was to understand how the lockdown measures affected athletes who were unable to participate in their regular daily practice. A total of 151 athletes of district Peshawar from the age range of 15 to 30 years were recruited into the study, and their psychological status as impacted by the Covid 19 pandemic was determined through an adopted questionnaire. Among the recruited 151 athletes, 76% participants were males (n=116) and 24% were females (n=35), with a mean age of 20.51 ± 3.59 years. Participants were from running events followed by 100m, 200m, 400m & 800m. From assessing the impact of the psychological parameters, it was observed that the coronavirus pandemic affected both males and females equally psychologically (mean 3.89 ± 1.02) and exhibited signs of depression (3.76 ± 1.01). From the lockdown down, it was observed that males were more uneasy in confined situations as compared to females (3.01±1.103 Vs. 3.37±.942, P=0.05) and they felt their body less relaxed than females (3.37±.942 Vs. 3.37±.942, P=0.05). The overall score for anxiety was 23.78±4.068 out of 35 (68%), which shows that anxiety levels of the players rose significantly during the Covid pandemic. Confidence level of both male and female athletes was lower going into competition (1.74 ± ±.978). It was found that athletes participating in the 400m showed a significant reduction in their peak performance (P values 0.007, <0.001, 0.028 & 0.08, respectively). Athletes in the 100m, 200m, and 800m showed a decrease in performance. In conclusion, the corona pandemic affected the selected psychological parameters of the athletes, which has impacted their personal best effort. Attainment of the best physical performance will surely need psychological counseling of the athletes about devising coping mechanisms in facing any such situations in the future.