Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on the mental health in sports: a review

Abstract

Global pandemic, lockdown restrictions, and COVID-19 compulsory social isolation guidelines have raised unprecedented mental health in the sports community. The COVID-19 pandemic is found to affect the mental health of the population. In critical situations, health authorities and sports communities must identify their priorities and make plans to maintain athletes’ health and athletic activities. Several aspects play an important role in prioritization and strategic planning, e.g., physical and mental health, distribution of resources, and short to long-term environmental considerations. To identify the psychological health of sportspeople and athletes due to the outbreak of COVID-19 has been reviewed in this research. This review article also analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on health mental in databases. The COVID-19 outbreak and quarantine would have a serious negative impact on the mental health of athletes. From the accessible sources, 80 research articles were selected and examined for this purpose such as Research Gate, PubMed, Google Scholar, Springer, Scopus, and Web of Science and based on the involvement for this study 14 research articles were accessed. This research has an intention on mental health issues in athletes due to the Pandemic. This report outlines the mental, emotional and behavioural consequences of COVID-19 home confinement. Further, research literature reported that due to the lack of required training, physical activity, practice sessions, and collaboration with teammates and coaching staff are the prime causes of mental health issues in athletes. The discussions also reviewed several pieces of literature which examined the impacts on sports and athletes, impacts on various countries, fundamental issues of mental health and the diagnosis for the sports person and athletes, and the afterlife of the COVID-19 pandemic for them. Because of the compulsory restrictions and guidelines of this COVID-19 eruption, the athletes of different sports and geographical regions are suffering from fewer psychological issues which were identified in this paper. Accordingly, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to negatively affect the mental health of the athletes with the prevalence and levels of anxiety and stress increasing, and depression symptoms remaining unaltered. Addressing and mitigating the negative effect of COVID-19 on the mental health of this population identified from this review.

The Relationship between Physical Activity Level and Sociodemographic Factors in Romanian Adults in the Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Period

“…While we did not specifically focus on athletes, our findings can be contextualized within the framework of research that examines the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the mental health of individuals engaged in various sports. This broader context aligns with the approach taken by some authors who emphasize the significant mental health challenges faced by athletes during the pandemic, driven by factors such as isolation and disrupted training [52]. Furthermore, it appears that psychological distress related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including concerns about both sports and careers, is more pronounced in team sports compared to individual sports [53].…”

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Elite Swimmers and Water Polo Players: Lessons for the Future

“…As humanity struggled with COVID-19, the world of sports, too, was facing a new threat [ 3 ]. In a domain where competition, training, and performance are part of everyday life, the pandemic introduced a deep disturbance, affecting not only athletes’ physical preparation but also their mental well-being, their careers [ 4 , 5 ], and even their attitudes toward vaccination [ 6 , 7 ].…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this way of living in several ways, prompting a perhaps never-before-seen reevaluation of the intersection between athletic pursuits and global crises, which will need to be addressed in similar future events. While the world adjusted to lockdowns, social distancing, and remote work, elite athletes faced the challenge of maintaining their training regimes in a daily life characterized by uncertainty, event cancellations [ 3 ], and health-related anxieties [ 4 , 5 ]. The physical and mental obstacles of this lockdown period have been an ongoing subject of concern, both for the athletes themselves and the broader sports community [ 3 ], even long after its conclusion.…”

“…The sudden cessation of competitions, uncertainty about the resumption of sporting events, and concerns about contracting COVID-19 overshadowed the athletes’ lives. As a result, anxiety and worry affected them [ 4 , 5 ], with athletes struggling not only with the fear of infection but also with the potential destruction of their careers.…”

Characteristics of Stress and Burnout among Lithuanian University Coaches: A Pre-Pandemic Coronavirus and Post-Pandemic Period Comparison

“…The present study fills a gap in the literature; no longitudinal review has yet explored laborers' (particularly coaches') experienced stress and burnout before and after the pandemic (i.e., during the post-pandemic period) since only a few longitudinal reviews worldwide have examined mental health pre-and post-pandemic. These reviews revealed an increase in anxiety and depression warning signs [10] (p. 10).…”