female athletes

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the methods of coping with coronavirus anxiety and the mental health of female athletes aged 30-50 years participating in aerobics and non-athletes in Tehran. Method: This study was both descriptive and causal-comparative in nature. The study's statistical population consisted of all female athletes aged 30 to 50 years in the field of aerobics and non-athletes in Tehran in the year 2021-2022. In this study, 50 female athletes from Tehran's 1nd district were selected through a voluntarily sampling method, while 50 non-athletic women voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected using the 12-GHQ Mental Health Scale (Goldberg & Williams, 1988) and the Stress Coping Styles Scale (Endler & Parker, 1990). Data analysis was performed using SPSS24 software, employing multivariate statistical analysis of variance. Results: The research findings indicate a significant difference in coping styles between female athletes and non-athletes. Specifically, the score for problem-oriented coping style in female athletes was higher than that in non-athletes (P<0.05). The score for emotion-oriented coping style was also higher in female athletes compared to non-athletic women (P<0.05). However, the score for avoidance coping style in female athletes was lower than in non-athletic women (P<0.05). Regarding mental health, the average score for mental health in female aerobics participants was lower than that in non-athletes (P<0.05). A lower score in mental health is considered indicative of better mental health. Therefore, it can be concluded that female athletes have better mental health compared to non-athletic females. Conclusion: The study's results suggest that female athletes and non-athletes have different coping styles when dealing with coronavirus anxiety. Female athletes tend to employ problem-oriented and emotion-oriented coping styles more frequently, while non-athletes are inclined toward avoidance coping style. Furthermore, female athletes demonstrate better mental health than their non-athletic counterparts.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of PMS on aerobic, anaerobic, and cognitive performance in female combat athletes. Method: In this semi-experimental study with a repeated measures design, 20 female combat athletes (mean age: 24.5±2.1 years) were assessed during two phases of their menstrual cycle: the PMS phase (7-10 days before menstruation) and the non-PMS phase (days 7-14 of the cycle). Aerobic performance was measured using the Bruce treadmill test, anaerobic performance was assessed by the Wingate test, and cognitive performance was evaluated through simple and choice reaction time tests. Statistical analyses were performed using paired t-tests and Pearson correlation (p<0.05). Results: The findings showed a significant reduction in VO₂ max (6.2%), time to exhaustion, and a significant increase in maximal heart rate and Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) during the PMS phase compared to the non-PMS phase (p<0.05). Anaerobic performance also declined, with a reduction in peak power (6.2%) and mean power (7.5%), an increase in fatigue index (16.2%), and lower blood lactate levels (p<0.01). Cognitive performance deteriorated during PMS, demonstrated by increased simple (16.7%) and choice (16.6%) reaction times, more errors, and decreased accuracy (p<0.01). Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between PMS symptom severity and VO₂ max reduction (r=0.72), as well as between blood lactate levels and reaction time (r=0.65) (p<0.01). Conclusion: PMS negatively affects aerobic, anaerobic, and cognitive performance in female combat athletes. These findings highlight the importance of considering the menstrual cycle phases in designing training and competition schedules for female athletes to optimize performance and prevent potential declines associated with PMS.