An Investigation of the Anxiety Levels of Athletes Playing Professional Football in Turkey Catch The Coronavirus

Abstract

The aim of this research is to reveal the anxiety levels of professional football players playing active football in Turkish leagues during the Covid-19 Pandemic period. The research is a quantitative study and was carried out in a descriptive survey model. In the research, the ‘Athlete’s Anxiety to Catch the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Scale (AACNCS)’ was used. Data in this study were collected in 2021. 182 professional football players who play active football in Turkish football leagues participated in the research. The data of the research were analyzed using the statistical software program Jamovi 1.6.12. For data analysis, arithmetic mean and standard deviation values were determined, and t-Test and One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests were used to determine the differentiation status of the scores obtained for the variables. Post-Hoc tests were used to determine the source of the difference in groups with a significant difference in F value. As a result of the research; AACNCS general score average and socialization anxiety sub-dimension score average in the anxiety scores of professional football players about catching the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19) are moderate; it was found that the mean score of the individual anxiety dimension was high. It has been found that there are significant differences in the participants' anxiety scores about catching the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19) in terms of the variables of marital status, education level, in which position he has played and how many years he has been a professional football player.