Coping strategies and psychological difficulties of athletes under anti-russian sanctions

Relevance. The article presents the results of a study of the severity of coping strategies in athletes under anti-Russian sanctions. At the time of the study, there was insufficient data on which coping strategies were most effective at present, since most of the information was obtained from studies of athletes under the restrictions of the pandemic period. Currently, highly qualified Russian athletes are facing new difficulties, in which other coping strategies become relevant. Research objective: To determine the effectiveness of athletes’ coping strategies in connection with the psychological difficulties of playing sports under anti-Russian sanctions. Research methods: The questionnaire “Strategic Approach to Coping Scale (SACS)” by S. Hobfoll, adapted by N.E. Vodopyanova, E.S. Starchenkova and the questionnaire “Psychological difficulties of athletes under sanctions against Russian sports” developed by the authors of this study were used to examine the athletes. The study involved 100 athletes from sports under sanctions (34 men and 66 women) aged 18-25. Research results: among the respondents, fairly close relationships were found between the indicators of coping strategies and psychological difficulties of playing sports under sanctions. There is a tendency to find it difficult to motivate oneself to exercise (p=0.021) and to decrease interest (p=0.03), as well as difficulty in demonstrating volitional qualities (p=0.01) and decreased confidence in the need to continue a sports career (p=0.029). Conclusion. The most pronounced coping strategy among highly qualified athletes is “searching for social support”, which allows athletes to better adapt to constantly changing conditions and the introduction of new restrictions.