Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented changes to daily life and in the first wave in the UK, it led to a societal shutdown including playing sport and concern was placed for the mental health of athletes. Identifying mood states experienced in lockdown and self-regulating strategies is useful for the development of interventions to help mood management. Whilst this can be done on a general level, examination of sport-specific effects and the experience of athletes and coaches can help develop interventions grounded in real world experiences. The present study investigated perceived differences in mood states of boxers before and during COVID-19 isolation in the first lockdown among boxers. Boxing is an individual and high-contact sport where training tends to form a key aspect of their identity. Boxers develop close relationships with their coach and boxing. Hence boxers were vulnerable to experiencing negative mood, and support via the coach was potentially unavailable. Participants were 58 experienced participants (44 boxers, male n = 33, female n = 11; 14 boxing coaches, male n = 11, female n = 3). Boxers completed the Brunel Mood Scale to assess mood before COVID-19 using a retrospective approach and during COVID-19 using a “right now” time frame. Boxers responded to open-ended questions to capture mood regulation strategies used. Coaches responded to open ended questions to capture how they helped regulate boxer’s mood. MANOVA results indicated a large significant increase in the intensity of unpleasant moods (anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, and tension) and reduction in vigor during COVID-19 (d = 0.93). Using Lane and Terry (2000) conceptual framework, results showed participants reporting depressed mood also reported an extremely negative mood profile as hypothesized. Qualitative data indicated that effective mood-regulation strategies used included maintaining close coach-athlete contact and helping create a sense of making progress in training. When seen collectively, findings illustrate that mood state responses to COVID-19 were severe. It is suggested that that active self-regulation and self-care should be a feature of training programmes to aid coaches and boxers in regulating mood when faced with severe situational changes.
Highlights
The Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in over 2 million deaths worldwide by January 2021 (World Health Organisation, 2020)
The present study investigated mood states and self-regulation strategies of boxers and mood regulation strategies used by coaches at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak and first month of UK lockdown
The study makes a valuable contribution to the literature as it details mood states and regulation strategies used by boxers and coaches during the first COVID lockdown in the UK, which itself represents a unique set of circumstances
Summary
The Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in over 2 million deaths worldwide by January 2021 (World Health Organisation, 2020). Many experts using data from other pandemics predicted an increase in negative mental health (Brooks et al, 2020). Initial research in the UK indicated that an increase in negative mood as indicated by people reporting to feel stressed, scared and less happy once lockdown started (YouGov, 2020). Mood data collected online at the start of the COVID pandemic from 1,062 participants, where the location of participants was not identified, reflected an inverse iceberg profile. An iceberg profile is characterized by significantly elevated scores for tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion, and below average scores for vigor; a profile associated with increased risk of mental health issues (Terry et al, 2020). There is growing evidence showing people experience negative mood during lockdown
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