A1 Journal article (refereed)
Student-athletes’ mood state profiles : the role of sports, sex, and performance level in sports and in school (2023)

Heikura, E. E., Aunola, K., Tolvanen, A., Ryba, T. V., & Selänne, H. (2023). Student-athletes’ mood state profiles : the role of sports, sex, and performance level in sports and in school. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 35(5), 836-853. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2022.2158250

JYU authors or editors

Heikura, Enni
Aunola, Kaisa
Tolvanen, Asko
Ryba, Tatiana
Selänne, Harri

Publication details

All authors or editors: Heikura, Enni E.; Aunola, Kaisa; Tolvanen, Asko; Ryba, Tatiana V.; Selänne, Harri

Journal or series: Journal of Applied Sport Psychology

ISSN: 1041-3200

eISSN: 1533-1571

Publication year: 2023

Publication date: 05/01/2023

Volume: 35

Issue number: 5

Pages range: 836-853

Publisher: Routledge

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2022.2158250

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access: Channel is not openly available

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/93503

Abstract

Daily workloads of adolescent student-athletes can be extremely high because of their investment in both school and sport. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to mood disturbances and disorders and thus mental health problems, as they experience psychological, physiological, and social shifts at this key stage of human development. The present study aims to provide information on the mental health of Finnish high school athletes by investigating their mood state profiles and the potential associations of sex, type of sport, and level of performance in sports and school with those profiles. Data were gathered through an online survey of 444 male and female student-athletes (aged 16–17) during the spring term of their second grade of high school. The 37-item Profile of Mood States questionnaire was used to measure mood states, with four mood state profiles found: (1) the surface profile (39.8%), (2) the Everest profile (13.2%), (3) the inverse Everest profile (13.2%), and (4) the iceberg profile (33.8%). Of the background variables, only sex was found to be related with the mood state profiles, with the Everest profile much more common in males (74.2%) than in females (25.8%). In addition, the energy index and total mood disturbance of mood states were higher among males than among females. The findings indicate that it is important to pay special attention to the mood states of young student-athletes, particularly females, and to create support systems that foster their resilience in combining sport and studies.

Lay summary: This study explores mood in adolescent student-athletes in terms of mood state profiles, total mood disturbance, and energy index. Profile of Mood State (POMS) metrics were used to determine mood state profiles; POMS has previously been found to be a valid indicator of the state of athletes’ mental health.

Keywords: sports-oriented general upper secondary schools; study; sports; combining; students; performance (coping); mood; mental health; resilience; gender differences