The influence of the type of sport and the level of competition on the manifestation of anxiety in female medical students

Abstract

The article presents the results of an empirical study aimed at studying the effect of systematic exercise on anxiety levels in female undergraduates at a medical university. The study involved 100 first— and second-year female students, divided into two cohorts: the first cohort consisted of female students who regularly play sports and participate in competitions at the city, regional or national levels.; The second group consists of female students who lead a normal lifestyle with a basic level of physical activity and who have participated in intra—university competitions in volleyball, basketball, or cheerleading. The standardized SCAT (Sport Competition Anxiety Test) tool was used to assess the level of anxiety. Data analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in anxiety levels among female students who regularly engage in sports, compared with the control group (p < 0.001). At the same time, the anxiety level among cheerleading participants turned out to be higher than that of volleyball and basketball players, which is probably due to the specific requirements of this sport — high synchronicity of movements, emotional expressiveness, aesthetic standards and subjectivity of refereeing. The lower level of anxiety among volleyball and basketball players is presumably related to their experience of participating in team competitions even before entering university. The results obtained emphasize the complex relationship between the sport, the level of competitive load and the psycho-emotional state of female students, which requires further comprehensive study.