Dependence of athletic performance on mental health in female students

Abstract

There are risk factors that become relevant under extreme conditions and, therefore, significantly affect sports performance. This paper aims to describe the correlation between certain parameters of mental health and their manifestation in female students with different sports performance levels. The components of mental health were assessed with a 10-point self-assessment test. The correlation structure was analyzed with respect to the level of statistical significance and correlation sign and depending on the parameters of mental health that affected athletic performance in female students. The data obtained were divided into five groups of factors. The first group of factors includes the ability to create a positive emotional field in the group, self-confidence, everyday well-being and adaptation to different irritants. The second group contains the factors associated with dysfunction such as the presence of mental disorders/illness, symptoms of chronic fatigue, increased heart rate when doing important tasks, disorders of the autonomic nervous system, use of sedative drugs, and wasting too much energy in ordinary tasks. The third group includes female students with a high level of athletic performance, who demonstrated significant correlations for the following parameters of mental health: mental health level, knowledge of stress resistance techniques, mental health awareness, psychological climate in a group, academic, sports, and work-related activities. The fourth group includes female students with a high level of athletic performance, who demonstrated negative correlations with certain mental health parameters. It was revealed that the higher the level of athletic performance, the less its dependence on external environment and other people. The fifth group includes parameters that do not have significant correlations with mental health and athletic performance in both groups of female students. These parameters include the need for psychological support from other people and releasing stress through smoking and alcohol consumption. The inverse correlation between athletic performance and mental health is significant in the group of female students with low athletic performance, which characterizes the activity of the autonomic nervous system.