Comparison of coping strategies with coronavirus anxiety and mental health of female athletes in aerobics and non-athletes

The purpose of this study was to compare the methods of coping with coronavirus anxiety and the mental health of female athletes aged 30-50 years participating in aerobics and non-athletes in Tehran.

This study was both descriptive and causal-comparative in nature. The study's statistical population consisted of all female athletes aged 30 to 50 years in the field of aerobics and non-athletes in Tehran in the year 2021-2022. In this study, 50 female athletes from Tehran's 1nd district were selected through a voluntarily sampling method, while 50 non-athletic women voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected using the 12-GHQ Mental Health Scale (Goldberg & Williams, 1988) and the Stress Coping Styles Scale (Endler & Parker, 1990). Data analysis was performed using SPSS24 software, employing multivariate statistical analysis of variance.

The research findings indicate a significant difference in coping styles between female athletes and non-athletes. Specifically, the score for problem-oriented coping style in female athletes was higher than that in non-athletes (P<0.05). The score for emotion-oriented coping style was also higher in female athletes compared to non-athletic women (P<0.05). However, the score for avoidance coping style in female athletes was lower than in non-athletic women (P<0.05).Regarding mental health, the average score for mental health in female aerobics participants was lower than that in non-athletes (P<0.05). A lower score in mental health is considered indicative of better mental health. Therefore, it can be concluded that female athletes have better mental health compared to non-athletic females.

The study's results suggest that female athletes and non-athletes have different coping styles when dealing with coronavirus anxiety. Female athletes tend to employ problem-oriented and emotion-oriented coping styles more frequently, while non-athletes are inclined toward avoidance coping style. Furthermore, female athletes demonstrate better mental health than their non-athletic counterparts.