Psychological and motivational differences between athletes and non-athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background & objective: It was aimed to determine whether there was a difference in terms of motivation, sports commitment, depression, and perceived stress levels in male and female athletes, and to compare these parameters between athletes and non-athletes. In addition, in this study, the relationships between the level of COVID-19 fear and depression, perceived stress and motivation levels were investigated in athletes and non-athletes. Methodology: This cross-sectional research was carried out on licensed athletes and healthy sedentary individuals living in Turkey between February and June 2022. The data were collected by completing the electronic form through online surveys method on Google Docs by the participants via self-report. Results: 136 of the 232 individuals participating in our study were sedentary individuals (58.6%) and 96 were athletes (41.4%). This study has revealed that the motivation level is greater in athletes than non-athletes (P = 0.002). In addition, it has shown that the COVID-19 fear (.P = 0.004), depression (P = 0.026) and perceived stress levels (P = 0.045) in female athletes with a history of COVID-19 are higher than male athletes with a history of COVID-19. We also conclude that the catching COVID-19 was not a parameter that affect the sport engagement level in athletes. Conclusion: The results of this research has shown that as COVID-19 fear increases, there is also an increase in depression and stress levels in athletes without a history of COVID-19. However, we may also report that COVID-19 fear does not trigger parameters such as depression and stress level in athletes caught by COVID-19. In conclusion, psychological support may be recommended to address the fear of COVID-19 in individuals who have not had the disease, while motivational support may be beneficial for those who have had COVID-19 to help them return to their previous routine life.