Subjective Well-Being Outcomes Before, During, And After In-Season Competitive Soccer Matches

Abstract

Subjective well-being is related to injury in soccer athletes, but little is known about how these variables change around a single athletic competition. Continued athletic participation combined with negative well-being may lead to tissue overload and subsequent injury. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the differences in daily well-being measures before, during and after the day of each match. METHODS: Thirty female soccer (age: 19.8 ±,1.1 years, height: 1.6 ± 0.05 m, mass: 64.9 ± 6.6 kg) players provided daily measures of readiness, physical fatigue, mental stress, and soreness intensity over the course of a competitive season. Subjective well-being was taken on standard practice days (P), game days (D0), and on days one (D1) two (D2) following games. One-way within subject analysis of variance was used to compare the subjective well-being variables between each time point. Post-hoc analysis was performed with a Bonferroni adjustments. RESULTS: A significant main effect was present for readiness (F=52.96, P<0.01). Post-hoc testing revealed readiness on D1(68.5 ±12.4) was significantly more negative than readiness on P (77.9 ± 8.0, p<0.01), D0 (83.4, 8.9, p<0.01), and D2 (77.1 ± 8.8, P<0.01). A significant main effect was present for fatigue (F=41.8, p<0.01). Post-hoc testing revealed fatigue on D1 (0.5 ± 1.6) was significantly more negative than fatigue on P (1.7 ± 1.4, P=0.01), D0 (2.3 ± 1.4, p<0.01), and D2 (1.7 ± 1.5, p=0.01). A significant main effect was present for stress (F=3.8, p=0.01) and soreness (F=15.1, p=0.01), but after accounting for multiple comparisons, there was no differences between times. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported readiness to train and physical fatigue are decreased for a full day following competitive soccer competition. Coaches, strength coaches, and athletic trainers may use this information to tailor training programs to promote recovery and limit injury risk, as previous literature indicates that negative outcomes on subjective scales may be indicative of injury. Future research should incorporate training load assessments into this analysis to understand if these changes are correlated to the frequency, intensity, or volume of soccer training and participation.