RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRESS COPING AND ANXIETY LEVELS OF SPORTS SCIENCES FACULTY STUDENTS

Abstract

The aims of this study are to examine 1- the anxiety and coping with stress levels of sports sciences
faculty students in terms of some sociodemographic variables (age, gender, income level, internet usage
time, department, sports experience, and frequency of sports participation), 2-the relationship between
the scores of two scales. Correlational survey model was used in the study. Sample of the study consists
of 286 students selected by random sampling method. Personal information form, Coping Response
Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory were used as data collection tools. The results reveal that female
students experience higher levels of anxiety than their male counterparts, despite demonstrating a lower
propensity to seek professional psychological support. Furthermore, students engaged in individual
sports exhibit superior problem-solving abilities compared to those engaged in team sports. The data
also indicate that students aged 24 and above report higher anxiety levels relative to those in the 18–20
age group. Conversely, individuals within the 21–23 age group display a decreased tendency to seek
environment support. The results showed that students attending the Department of Recreation
demonstrated significantly higher levels of positive appraisal compared to students from other
departments. However, their tendency to seek professional psychological support was found to be lower.
Senior students (i.e., those in their fourth year) exhibited higher levels of anxiety, whereas first-year
students reported lower tendencies to seek both professional help and environment support.
Furthermore, individuals with 3 to 4 years of experience in sports reported elevated levels of anxiety
and lower levels of logical analysis when compared to their peers with different durations of
engagement. Those who trained one to two times per week experienced higher anxiety levels and
demonstrated poorer coping skills than individuals who trained three or more times weekly. A weak, yet
statistically significant, negative correlation was observed between stress coping skills and anxiety
levels. These results suggest the need to expand psychological counseling services focused on reducing
anxiety and enhancing students’ coping abilities. In addition, it is recommended to develop sport-specific support programs and to promote regular training habits in order to support students’ mental health and resilience.