Competitive Stress Research Articles

“Rat Race” or “Lying Flat”? The effect of competition stress on psychological compensation

“Rat Race” or “Lying Flat”? The effect of competition stress on psychological compensation

INFLUENCE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE OF ELITE WOMEN’S HANDBALL PLAYERS ON THE CHOICE OF STRESS COPING STRATEGIES

Introduction. The problem of finding optimal strategies for overcoming stress by elite athletes remains relevant. Many authors study the problem of stress resistance in sports from the standpoint of forming a set of athlete’s personal qualities. The emotional intelligence is such athlete’s personal characteristics that affect the ability to withstand competitive stress.
 The aim of the study: to establish a relation between coping strategies and emotional intelligence of elite women’s handball players.
 Materials and methods: Athletes of the Ukrainian national women’s handball team (21 players aged 17 to 28, experience in this sport from 5 to 19 years) took part in the research. The following methods: questionnaire «Ways of coping behaviour» by R. Lazarus, the Nelson-Hall methodology devised to diagnose EI, was used. Data was processed by non-parametric descriptive statistics, Shapiro-Wilk normality test, and correlation analysis.
 Results: Strategies using by athletes to increase the ability of the psyche to adapt to anxiety, the level of emotional intelligence and its components, the characteristics of motivation to succeed and motivation to avoid failure have been identified. 61.9 % of elite women’s handball players showed a low level of general emotional intelligence; 38.1 % of people showed a middle level. Correlation analysis between athletes’ choice of coping strategies and manifestations of emotional intelligence revealed certain patterns. «Confrontational coping» correlated with empathy (r = 0.45). Coping «Distancing» correlated with self-control (r = 0.59) and self-motivation (r = 0.53). Coping «Positive reappraisal» correlated with emotional awareness (r = 0.47), self-emotion management (r = 0.52) and overall emotional intelligence (r = 0.59). Coping «Self-control» had a positive correlation with self-motivation (r = 0.53).
 Conclusions: The obtained results give grounds to assert the expediency of applying the correction of emotional intelligence by increasing one in the practice of psychological training of athletes, which will increase their stress resistance.

Enhanced-efficiency fertilizers on the growth of coffee plants under weed (Bidens Pilosa) competition stress

The interference of weeds in coffee cultivation is one of the factors contributing to losses and impairments in crop growth and productivity. Consequently, it becomes necessary to employ strategies aimed at mitigating this stress and facilitating optimal crop development through enhanced nutritional practices. This study aimed to assess the impact of various sources and modes of release of enhanced-efficiency phosphate fertilizers on the initial growth of Coffea arabica L. plants in competition with the weed Bidens pilosa in a greenhouse. The experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Vales do Jequitinhonha and Mucuri – Diamantina MG, Brazil, employing a block design in a 4 x 6 factorial arrangement with four replications. The factors corresponded to four levels of B. pilosa infestation and six phosphorus sources (Super Single, Conventional, MAP, Granulated Organomineral, Pelleted Organomineral, MAP Coated with Polymer, and a control treatment without fertilization). The findings suggest that under the experimental conditions of this research, the escalating density of weed competition from B. pilosa negatively impacts the initial growth of coffee plants. However, this effect is dependent on the source of phosphate fertilization. Fertilizers with slow-release phosphate sources are recommended for coffee plantations, as they contribute to reduced weed growth in comparison to coffee plants.

Coping profiles of adolescent football players and association with interpersonal coping: Do emotional competence and psychological need satisfaction matter?

Using a person-centered approach, the present study aimed to investigate the coping profiles of adolescent football players involved in elite football training centers. The purposes were to (1) identify coping profiles based on the reported use of multiple coping strategies in response to competitive stress, (2) explore whether emotional competencies and psychological need satisfaction would predict coping profile membership, and (3) examine the extent to which coping profiles were differently associated with individual and team perceived stress, interpersonal coping, and subjective team performance, as well as demographic characteristics. A sample of 416 young French football players (males = 282; females = 134; Mage = 16.2; SDage = 1.2) from 12 elite football training centers participated in this study. Latent profile analysis results yielded three coping profiles allowing players to be grouped according to their preferences for a combined use of certain strategies (i.e., low copers, high disengaged copers, and high task copers). Results provided further insight into each coping profile membership by indicating the role played by intrapersonal emotional competence and psychological need satisfaction. Finally, differences between coping profiles have been shown in terms of individual perceived stress intensity, interpersonal coping approach, and gender. These findings provide a deeper understanding of adaptive coping profiles within a population of adolescent football players involved in elite training centers. Implications for developing and tailoring psychoeducational interventions for adolescent football players exhibiting a maladaptive coping profile (i.e., disengagement-oriented coping profile) are considered.

Insight into the role of niche concept in deciphering the ecological drivers of MPs-associated bacterial communities in mangrove forest

Myriad inherent and variable environmental features are controlling the assembly and succession of bacterial communities colonizing on mangrove microplastics (MPs). However, the mechanisms governing mangrove MPs-associated bacterial responses to environmental changes still remain unknown. Here, we assessed the dissimilarities of MPs-associated bacterial composition, diversity and functionality as well as quantified the niche variations of each taxon on plastispheres along river–mangrove–ocean and mangrove landward–to–seaward gradients in the Beibu Gulf, China, respectively. The bacterial richness and diversity as well as the niche breadth on mangrove sedimentary MPs dramatically decreased from landward to seaward regions. Characterizing the niche variations linked the difference of ecological drivers of MPs-associated bacterial populations and functions between river–mangrove–ocean (microplastic properties) and mangrove landward–to–seaward plastispheres (sediment physicochemical properties) to the trade-offs between selective stress exerted by inherent plastic substrates and microbial competitive stress imposed by environmental conditions. Notably, Rhodococcus erythropolis was predicted to be the generalist species and closely associated to biogeochemical cycles of mangrove plastispheres. Our work provides a reliable pathway for tackling the hidden mechanisms of environmental factors driving MPs-associated microbe from perspectives of niches and highlights the spatial dynamic variations of mangrove MPs-associated bacteria.

Do Native and Alien Species Differ in Their Ecological Strategies? A Test with Woody Plants in Tropical Rainforests on Réunion Island (Mascarene Archipelago, Indian Ocean)

Understanding the mechanisms of biological invasions (e.g., competitive exclusion) is a key conservation challenge, especially on islands. Many mechanisms have been tested by comparing the characteristics of native and alien species, but few studies have considered ecological strategies. Here we aim at comparing the competitive ability, stress tolerance, and ruderalism (CSR) of native and alien trees in the tropical rainforests of Réunion Island. A total of sixteen 100 m2 plots (eight ‘near-trail’ and eight ‘off-trail’, at less disturbed sites) were established over a 2100 m elevational gradient. Three traits were measured in 1093 leaves from 237 trees: leaf area, leaf dry matter content and specific leaf area. They were converted into a CSR score assigned to each of the 80 surveyed tree species (70 native and 10 alien) using the ‘Stratefy’ ordination approach. C scores increased with basal area and S scores with elevation, but R scores were not higher along the trail, thus only partially validating Stratefy. Native and alien trees had similar CS strategies, thus challenging invasion hypotheses predicting a difference in ecological strategies and rather demonstrating the importance of environmental filtering. However, other differences falling outside the CSR theory may also explain the success of alien species on Réunion.

A study of the emotional intelligence of students of higher education with specific training conditions engaged in hand-to-hand combat

The article reveals the features of emotional intelligence. For future police officers, preparedness for extreme situations is necessary. The purpose of the research is to study the features and comparative characteristics of the emotional intelligence of students of higher education institutions with specific learning conditions who engage in hand-to-hand combat and students who do not engage in sports. Future male police officers (Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs) engaged in hand-to-hand combat (n=30) took part in the experiment. The age of the subjects was 19.56±1.68. Students who do not play sports (n=30, age 19.72±1.84) were chosen as the control group. For the study of emotional intelligence, the test subjects were offered a version of the questionnaire according to N. Hall. In the group of athletes, future police officers, the following results were found: "emotional awareness" (52%), "self-motivation" (50%), "empathy" (75%) and "recognition of other people's emotions" (60%). A high level includes "managing your emotions" (65%). Statistically significant differences (p<0.05) between the groups of future police officers and students of the control group were found for such components as "management of own emotions", "recognition of other people's emotions" and "self-motivation". In order to obtain positive changes in the skills of assessing one's emotional state, students of higher education institutions with specific training conditions engaged in hand-to-hand combat are recommended to correct competitive stress and reduce anxiety that appears before competitions.

Income Inequality and Childrens Pressures

Childrens academic backgrounds can vary widely because of the different resources that come with income inequality. Thus, children can become increasingly stressed academically. Under pressure that is difficult to regulate, young peoples mental health can easily be af-fected. Therefore, we need to understand such a situation and take countermeasures. This article explores the relationship between income inequality, sources of competitive stress, anxiety, and suicidal behavior, and potential psychological treatments for these problems. Finally, this work concludes that income inequality is associated with significant social class differences that can increase childrens academic competitive stress and affect their mental health.

The origin of bipolar disorder in ceramic artists from the perspective of positive psychology

BackgroundIn recent years, the proportion of bipolar disorder among ceramic artists has increased significantly. From the perspective of positive psychology, the study further analyzed the risk factors of bipolar disorder.Subjects and MethodsThe study recruited ceramic artist volunteers as research objects and divided them into a bipolar group and a non-bipolar group. According to artistic creativity, family, endocrine function and other factors of the study subjects data statistics. Statistical software Statistica was used for data analysis, and the T-test or correlation coefficient were used to evaluate the correlation of factors.ResultsBy analyzing the social media texts of science and engineering students, the study found several factors related to employment anxiety. In the bipolar group, the score of creative stress was significantly higher than that in the non-bipolar group (M=4.62 in the manic-depressive group and M=3.31 in the non-manic-depressive group, P<0.001). Competitive stress (M=3.81 in the manic-depressive group and M=2.92 in the non-manic-depressive group, P<0.001) and personal negative experience (M=4.19 in the manic-depressive group and M=3.24 in the non-manic-depressive group, P<0.001) also had significantly higher scores in the manic-depressive group.ConclusionsBased on the analysis of positive psychology, this study analyzed the causes of bipolar disorder induced by ceramic artists. Through statistical analysis using Statistica, the results showed that creativity, competitive pressure and personal negative experience were positively correlated with the manic-depressive index of ceramic artists. This study provides valuable information for psychological support measures for patients with bipolar disorder, thus promoting the artistic development of ceramists.

New sports rules combined with sertraline on Posttraumatic Stress of volleyball players

BackgroundIn competitive sports, trauma and stress reactions are common problems faced by athletes. In order to explore methods to alleviate post-traumatic stress, research focuses on the effectiveness of combining new sports rules with medication treatment.Subjects and MethodsThe study selected 66 volleyball athletes with post-traumatic stress as the research subjects and divided them into an experimental group and a control group. The athletes in the research group received training on new sports rules and personalized sertraline therapy. The control group of athletes continued to receive traditional sports rules training and received placebo treatment at the same dose and time. During the research process, a standardized post-traumatic stress scale was used to evaluate the two groups. Collected data were processed and analyzed by the statistical method SPSS22.0.ResultsAfter a period of experimentation, the volleyball players in the research group showed a decrease in their PTSD scores from the initial score of 80 to 55 after being treated with the new sports rules combined with sertraline. The players in the control group, after receiving traditional sports rules and placebo treatment, experienced a decrease in their PTSD scores from an initial score of 90 to 75.ConclusionsThe research results indicate that the combination of new sports rules and personalized drug therapy has a significant positive impact on post-traumatic stress athletes. New rules and drug therapy can effectively alleviate athletes’ post-traumatic stress response.

A-044 Using ID-Vit Test Systems to Assess the Effect of Vitamin B Supplementation on Fatigue Symptoms in Professional Athletes

Abstract Background Training and competition stress may result in temporary decrements (muscle damage, impaired immune system) in physical performance and significant levels of fatigue in professional athletes. Evidence suggest a causal association between these prevalent fatigue symptoms, temporary decrements and low serum levels of B vitamins. Therefore, it is suggested that supplementing B vitamins has a positive effect on reducing fatigue symptoms. However existing studies failed to show the connection with the traditional methodology like HPLC or LC/MS where only one analyte is quantified. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of vitamin B complex supplementation on fatigue symptoms, in professional athletes by measuring bioavailable vitamins with ID-vit test systems, that quantifies the bioavailable B vitamins. Methods The serum samples of 57 professional athletes (12 female, 23.6 ± 6.9years) before and after 3 months of daily vitamin B complex supplementation (20 mg thiamine, 15 mg riboflavin, 30 mg niacin, 10 mg pantothenic acid, 15 mg pyridoxal-5-phosphate, 400 µg 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, 1000 µg methylcobalamine, 1000 µg biotin) were compared. CBC was determined by standard tests. Bioavailable vitamins B2, B6, folic acid, B12 in serum and B1 in whole blood were measured by the ID-Vit® test kits from Immundiagnostik AG. The test system is based on a microbiological method. The microorganisms used in this test system can metabolize various vitamers that are equally available in vivo. Thus, a functional system is simulated that quantifies the bioavailable B vitamins in comparison to other methods as e.g., HPLC or LC/MS, where only one analyte is quantified. The results of the methodology correlate very well with the observed symptoms and are therefore a promising tool for therapy monitoring. Using 5-point Likert scales, fatigue, sleep quality, muscle damage and impairment of immune system were assessed at the baseline and after 3 months intervention. Results Ultimately 29 professional athletes (10 female, 22.6 ± 7.9years) were completed the study. The bioavailable vitamin B levels were significantly higher after the 3 months supplementation period. (for vitamin B1 35.6 ± 9.4 µg/L and 48.1 ± 18.3 µg/L, for vitamin B2 99.9 ± 63.3 µg/L and 125.0 ± 66.4 µg/L, for vitamin B6 10.2 ± 13.8 µg/L and 30.7 ± 29.2 µg/L, for vitamin folic acid 9.3 ± 7.4 µg/L and 12.7 ± 9.1 µg/L, for vitamin B12 362.9 ± 335.2 µg/L and 445.2 ± 367.5 µg/L respectively). The level of feeling tired significantly lowered (6.0 ± 2.9 vs 1.9 ± 1.8, P < 0.001) after 3 months in parallel to higher serum bioavailable vitamin B levels. The professional athletes significantly less troubles with their sleep quality (34.5% vs 6.9%; P < 0.001), muscle damage (58.6% vs 6.9%; P = 0.033), and infection rate (44.8% vs 0.0%; P < 0.001). Performance fatigue was reported in 75.9% and mental fatigue was reported in 79.3% of the athletes before vitamin B complex supplementation and significantly decreased to 0.0% and 13.8% after 3 months of supplementation period (P < 0.001). Conclusion Low serum bioavailable vitamin B values found to be related to fatigue, sleep quality, muscle damage and impairment of immune system. The supplementation of B complex vitamins was effective on reducing fatigue symptoms, infection frequency, muscle damage and helped increasing sleep quality. The ID-vit tests system is an effective and easy to apply tool to quantify the bioavailable B vitamins in clinical settings to assess undersupply.

Transcriptomic response of Cinachyrella cf. cavernosa sponges to spatial competition.

Spatial competition in the intertidal zones drives the community structure in marine benthic habitats. Organisms inhabiting these areas not only need to withstand fluctuations in temperature, water level, pH, and salinity but also need to compete for the best available space. Sponges are key members of the intertidal zones, and their life history processes (e.g. growth, reproduction, and regeneration) are affected by competition. Here, we used transcriptomics to investigate the effects of interspecific competition between the tetillid sponge Cinachyrella cf. cavernosa, the zoantharid Zoanthus sansibaricus and the macroalgae Dictyota ciliolata in the field. The analysis of differentially expressed genes showed that Z. sansibaricus was the more stressful competitor to C. cf. cavernosa, which showed an upregulation of cellular respiration under stress of competition. Similarly, an upregulation of energy metabolism, lipid metabolism and the heat-shock protein (HSP) 70 was also observed along with an increase in viral load and decreased ability to synthesize protein. A downregulation of purine and pyrimidine metabolism indicated a reduction in the physiological activities of the competing sponges. Moreover, a putative case of possible kleptocnidism, not previously reported in C. cf. cavernosa, was also observed. This study offers a glimpse into the inner workings of marine organisms competing for spatial resources using transcriptome data.

Диагностика и развитие готовности к конкуренции

One of the tasks of modern education is to prepare future specialists for competition. At the same time, the em-pathy and humanistic values of representatives of socionomic professions make them relatively more vulnera-ble to the stress of competition, including the need to regularly maintain their competitive ability. Objective: to study students’ readiness to compete and to develop psychological means of its development. Methods: “The level of competitiveness”, “The level of ability to self-learning and self-education” (V.I. Andreev); correlation analysis. Sample: 46 students studying socionomic professions. Results: The prevalence of students’ average level of competitiveness and ability to self-education is revealed. A set of psychological education measures is developed, contributing to the formation of adequate ideas about competition, about the qualities that hinder self-education and competitiveness, the formation of skills of organization of developmental leisure and self-regulation in stressful situations, the development of productive solutions and the implementation of competi-tive interaction. Available methods are used, recommended for the activities of the psychological service and in the teaching of special courses in psychology.

The Positive Effects of Physical Exercise on Mental Health Among Chinese Students Under Great Competitive Pressure

Under an environment full of competitive stress, students tend to form negative emotions, and the time for them to engage in physical exercise is greatly limited due to overwhelming academic tasks. Therefore, in this paper, we focus on acknowledging the purpose of physical exercise, and how physical exercise affects the mental health of students under stressful circumstances but not in the context of leisure. Questionnaire was distributed to participants with an average age of 20, to investigate their preference, frequency, and reason for exercising, and their attitude towards it. Our results showed that participants think that exercise can strengthen the body, relieve stress, improve fitness and interpersonal relationship regardless of their purpose such as interests, emotional necessity and even out of non-subjective ideas. In conclusion, physical exercise helped to improve students’ mental health especially under great pressure and ultimately, it will enhance their academics and bring about the unity of mind and body.

Heart rate variability of elite female rowers in preparation for and during the national selection regattas: a pilot study on the relation to on water performance.

To comprehensively analyze elite female rowers, evaluating acute changes in HRV and subjective psychometrics during the NSR. Five elite female rowers (26 ± 2 years, 180 ± 8 cm, 82 ± 8 kg, 19 ± 6%fat) were recruited and tracked prior to and during NSR I and II. Morning HRV measures were completed using photoplethysmography (HRV4training) along with self-reported levels of fatigue, soreness, rating of perceived exertion, mentally energy and physical condition. Significant decreases were observed in log transformed root-mean square of successive differences (LnRMSSD; p = 0.0014) and fatigue (p = 0.01) from pre-to-during NSR, while mental energy (p = 0.01), physical condition (p = 0.01), and motivation (p = 0.006) significantly increased. These psychometric measures returned to pre-NSR levels, at post-NSR (all p < 0.05), though HRV remained slightly suppressed. NSR on-water performance was not correlated to LnRMSSD or the change in LnRMSSD (p > 0.05). HRV and psychometric measures are sensitive to the stress of elite rowing competition in females. However, HRV was not associated with on-water rowing performance during an elite rowing competition.

Quality of Life as Perceived by Elite Mountain Athletes in Spain.

Physical activity is a great remedy to prevent diseases, as well as to keep us healthy and improve our physical, mental, and social health. One of the many benefits of physical exercise is emotional regulation, which allows us to provide an adequate response to everyday situations in addition to controlling our own emotions. High-level athletes face multifactorial stressors that can affect their quality of life. We explored the relationship between quality of life and emotional regulation using questionnaires that measure self-reported quality of life and how they cope with stressful situations in 54 mountain athletes with a mean age of 21.88 (SD = 7.88). We also investigated gender differences and demographic location in this population, as they are subjected to very high moments of stress in competition, with the risk that this modality entails. Rural areas have better physical and psychological health, with higher scores on quality of life and adaptation dimensions. Women have a worse quality of life, specifically in psychological health, with worse coping mechanisms. It is important to design strategies that improve these mechanisms, specifically in urban areas and the female sex, to improve their emotional regulation and quality of life.

Community specialisation in vegetation succession on central‐European disturbed sites

AbstractQuestionsConservation and restoration efforts can greatly benefit from understanding how plant community specialisation changes after disturbance. This paper addresses general successional patterns concerning the following questions: How does community specialisation change during succession? What are the general patterns in the occurrence of generalists and specialists? What are the general ecological strategies of generalists and specialists? Are threatened species better represented among specialists, as generally expected?LocationCzech Republic, central Europe.MethodsWe assessed trends in plant community specialisation as well as the participation of generalists and specialists in 12 types of successional series based on a large data set of dated plots of spontaneously established vegetation at various disturbed sites. We classified species into generalists and specialists using a co‐occurrence specialisation metric, determined overall community specialisation at the plot level, and assessed trends in response to successional age for each of the seres using regression analyses, community‐weighted means and the fourth‐corner approach. We also examined the differences between generalists and specialists during succession by comparing their ecological strategies (competitive, stress‐tolerant and ruderal) and conservation status.ResultsCommunity specialisation generally increased during succession, mainly due to a decline in generalists and an increase in typical species of particular habitats such as grasslands, woodlands and wetlands. Despite the general increase in community specialisation, specialists peaked in early and old successional stages and were always less abundant than generalists. During succession, generalists were more stable in their ecological strategies and were predominantly competitive. Specialists varied more, being mostly competitive stress tolerators but also ruderals in early successional stages. Specialists were proportionally more threatened than generalists.ConclusionsGeneralists and specialists differ in their successional patterns, ecological strategies and conservation status. Assessing the spatio‐temporal changes in community specialisation helps to evaluate and track successional trends, and to determine the conservation and restoration status of degraded areas.

Effective dose window for containing tumor burden under tolerable level

A maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) reduces the drug-sensitive cell population, though it may result in the competitive release of drug resistance. Alternative treatment strategies such as adaptive therapy (AT) or dose modulation aim to impose competitive stress on drug-resistant cell populations by maintaining a sufficient number of drug-sensitive cells. However, given the heterogeneous treatment response and tolerable tumor burden level of individual patients, determining an effective dose that can fine-tune competitive stress remains challenging. This study presents a mathematical model-driven approach that determines the plausible existence of an effective dose window (EDW) as a range of doses that conserve sufficient sensitive cells while maintaining the tumor volume below a threshold tolerable tumor volume (TTV). We use a mathematical model that explains intratumor cell competition. Analyzing the model, we derive an EDW determined by TTV and the competitive strength. By applying a fixed endpoint optimal control model, we determine the minimal dose to contain cancer at a TTV. As a proof of concept, we study the existence of EDW for a small cohort of melanoma patients by fitting the model to longitudinal tumor response data. We performed identifiability analysis, and for the patients with uniquely identifiable parameters, we deduced patient-specific EDW and minimal dose. The tumor volume for a patient could be theoretically contained at the TTV either using continuous dose or AT strategy with doses belonging to EDW. Further, we conclude that the lower bound of the EDW approximates the minimum effective dose (MED) for containing tumor volume at the TTV.

The Current Mental Status of Adolescent Students in High Schools in China and School Life-related Factors that Influence Their Mental Status

Suicide is an important mental-health-related problem in East Asian countries. In recent years, there is an increasing trend in this social problem in China. China has a huge number of students and fewer teaching resources, which leads to greater competitive stress. It is of our interest to see whether there is a strong relationship between the deterioration of high school students mental health status and the pressure from homework and exams.Although there has been much research on the relationship between depression and learning among college and graduate students, but there is a lack of research on adolescent high school students. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the current mental health status of adolescents studying in high school in China and source of stress.

Sports Stressors and Academic Performance of Student-Athletes in Selected Colleges of Education in Ghana

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sports stressors and academic performance of student-athletes in selected colleges of education in Ghana. The study was guided by two (4) specific objectives: (a) To assess the influence of sporting stress on the academic performance of student-athletes in Colleges of Education in Ghana; (b) To compare the GPA of student-athletes in the year of competitive sports and the year of no competitive sports in the Colleges of Education in Ghana and (e) to recommend ways of managing stress to enhance student athlete’s academic performance. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design, in which both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The study was conducted in Ghana. Simple random sampling was used to select student-athletes while purposive sampling was used to select tutors. The target population for this study was 12 tutors and 768 student-athletes in six (6) Ghana Colleges of Education. The total sample size for the study was 335 (12 tutors &amp; 323 students-athletes). The instruments for data collection were a questionnaire, an interview guide and document analyses. Both, descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20). Descriptive statistics summarized, organized and described the responses when addressing study objectives through the use of means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages. Inferential statistics such as ANOVA and Point biserial were used to test the formulated null hypotheses. All hypotheses were tested at p&lt;0.05 alpha level of significance. The study found that competitive sports stressors have a statistically significant influence on the academic performance of student-athletes in colleges of education in Ghana. The study also revealed that competitive sports stress has a statistically significant influence on the academic performance of student-athletes, especially the females, in colleges of education in Ghana. This study therefore, recommends that female student-athletes be given scholarships to motivate and enhance other female students’ participation in competitive sports. The study also recommends that colleges of Education in Ghana introduce stress management strategies to address stressors’ link to academic performance of student-athlete.