Abstract
Background: The ongoing global pandemic has become the world's leading health problem, causing massive public fear and concern. Reports suggest that athletes are seeking mental health support, showing the pressures of boredom, and tension associated with their anticipated social isolation. The current study seeks to evaluate the evidence regarding the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on occupational stress in professional athletes.Method: A scoping review was conducted. A comprehensive search involving Embase and PubMed databases was conducted using a combination of the following key words: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, and athletes. In this study, articles were retained if they were original studies reporting on the impact of the pandemic on professional athletes.Results: Nine studies were identified as they investigated the impact of the pandemic on athletes. Most were observational and cross-sectional, and one was longitudinal. Outcome measures mainly investigated were level of depression, anxiety, and stress. Dependent variables were physical activity, nutrition, mental state, sleep quality, individual well-being, social identity, exclusivity, negative affectivity, alcohol consumption, psychological distress, and gambling habits.Conclusions: This review highlights the need for proactive engagement with professional athletes, coaches, trainers, and sports councils to facilitate understanding and awareness-raising, process optimization, and delivery of consistent training and psychosocial aid and occupational therapy programs that maintain the health and well-being of athletes while minimizing occupational stress during a pandemic.
Highlights
The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 resulted in significant global challenges
Studies investigating the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on public health have found a high level of psychological distress due to lockdown, fear of infection, and adjusting to new protective measures (2)
The current study seeks to evaluate the evidence regarding the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on occupational stress in professional athletes
Summary
The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 resulted in significant global challenges. Government agencies and public health organizations have adopted public health initiatives to minimize the peak infection rate, of which the most effective recommendation known to restrict and postpone the spread of the virus is social (physical) distancing. Studies investigating the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on public health have found a high level of psychological distress due to lockdown, fear of infection, and adjusting to new protective measures (2). Social distancing measures have resulted to a substantial rise in workplace stress, with many categories of workers affected (3). Work-related factors may play a crucial role in exacerbating the effects of the pandemic isolation measures on people’s mental well-being. Healthcare workers, especially those on the frontline, migrant workers, and workers in contact with the public are among the most affected with psychological critical issues in the workplace (3–5). The current study seeks to evaluate the evidence regarding the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on occupational stress in professional athletes
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