AIM:
The objective of the study was to examine self-esteem, anxiety level and coping strategies among secondary school students in relation to their involvement in organized sports.
METHODS:
The sample included 280 Slovenian male and female secondary school students aged between 15 and 19 years. The participants completed The Adolescent Coping Scale, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the PSDQ Selfesteem Scale.
RESULTS:
Participants engaged in organized sports exhibited higher self-esteem scores and lower anxiety scores in comparison to non-sport participants. Differences between the two groups have also been identified with respect to the use of certain coping strategies. Sport participants reported more productive coping than non-sport participants, which represents an active and problem-focused approach to dealing with everyday problems. Gender differences in the referred variables have also been studied, with female athletes exhibiting higher levels of anxiety than male athletes. Female participants were also found to use more non-productive coping than males, focused mainly on reducing emotional effects of stress.
CONCLUSIONS:
Organized youth sports have an important role in improving and maintaining a favorable sense of self-worth, reducing anxiety, and promoting productive coping strategies in adolescents when dealing with everyday problems.
KEYWORDS:
adolescents; coping with stress; mental health; sports
Language: en
Vernacular Abstract
CILJ:
Namen raziskave je bil preučiti raven samospoštovanja in anksioznosti ter uporabo različnih strategij spoprijemanja s stresom pri srednješolskih mladostnikih v povezavi z vključenostjo v redno in organizirano športno vadbo.
METODE:
Vzorec je obsegal 280 slovenskih srednješolcev in srednješolk od 15. do 19. leta. Udeleženci so izpolnili vprašalnik spoprijemanja s težavami za mladostnike, lestvico anksioznosti in lestvico samospoštovanja.
REZULTATI:
Pri mladostnikih, ki se organizirano ukvarjajo s športom, smo ugotovili višje vrednosti na lestvici samospoštovanja in nižjo stopnjo anksioznosti v primerjavi z njihovimi športno neaktivnimi vrstniki. Razlike med skupinama so se pokazale tudi v uporabi nekaterih spoprijemalnih strategij: športno aktivni mladostniki so se v splošnem posluževali več na problem usmerjenih strategij spoprijemanja v primerjavi z nešportniki, kar kaže na bolj aktiven in konstruktiven pristop k reševanju vsakodnevnih težav. Razlike po spolu so pokazale, da športnice izražajo več anksioznega doživljanja kot športniki. Na področju soočanja s stresom smo ugotovili razlike v nekaterih spoprijemalnih strategijah tako v skupini športnikov kot v skupini nešportnikov: dekleta so v primerjavi s fanti izražala več nekonstruktivnega spoprijemanja, usmerjenega predvsem v blaženje učinkov čustvene napetosti v stresnih situacijah.
ZAKLJUČEK:
Predpostavimo lahko, da ima organizirana športna aktivnost pomembno vlogo pri razvijanju in ohranjanju ugodnega občutka lastne vrednosti, zmanjševanju negativnih učinkov stresa ter spodbujanju uporabe aktivnih in konstruktivnih strategij spoprijemanja s težavami v mladostništvu.
KEYWORDS:
adolescents; coping with stress; mental health; sports