Interplay between sex, age, BMI, health-related quality of life, and coping strategies in amateur and professional athletes
Background/ObjectivesThe psychological well-being of athletes has garnered increasing interest due to its strong association with physical performance. While somatic indicators such as Body Mass Index (BMI) are routinely monitored in sports, the role of psychological resources—especially coping stra...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Physiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1626037/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849472990214881280 |
|---|---|
| author | Walter Sapuppo Walter Sapuppo Walter Sapuppo Davide Giacconi Davide Giacconi Antonietta Monda Antonietta Messina Daniele Saccenti Claudia Maria Mineo Claudia Maria Mineo Maria Casillo Salvatore Allocca Giovanni Michelini Giovanni Michelini Regina Gregori Grgič Vincenzo Monda Jacopo Lamanna Mattia Ferro Girolamo Di Maio Marcellino Monda Marco La Marra |
| author_facet | Walter Sapuppo Walter Sapuppo Walter Sapuppo Davide Giacconi Davide Giacconi Antonietta Monda Antonietta Messina Daniele Saccenti Claudia Maria Mineo Claudia Maria Mineo Maria Casillo Salvatore Allocca Giovanni Michelini Giovanni Michelini Regina Gregori Grgič Vincenzo Monda Jacopo Lamanna Mattia Ferro Girolamo Di Maio Marcellino Monda Marco La Marra |
| author_sort | Walter Sapuppo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background/ObjectivesThe psychological well-being of athletes has garnered increasing interest due to its strong association with physical performance. While somatic indicators such as Body Mass Index (BMI) are routinely monitored in sports, the role of psychological resources—especially coping strategies—in shaping Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the influence of psychological and physical factors on HRQoL among amateur and professional athletes, controlling for sex, age, and BMI.MethodsA cross-sectional design was adopted, involving 537 athletes (326 males, 211 females; mean age = 32.44, SD = 13.64), aged 18–76 years. Participants were recruited via online platforms and sports organizations and completed a battery of self-report questionnaires, including the SF-36 to assess HRQoL and the COPE-NVI-25 to evaluate coping strategies. BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the relative contributions of demographic, anthropometric, and psychological variables to HRQoL.ResultsDemographic variables and BMI explained a limited proportion of the variance in HRQoL. In contrast, coping strategies significantly contributed to HRQoL outcomes, accounting for up to 22.5% of the variance in the global SF-36 score. Positive attitude and social support were associated with better physical and mental health, while avoidance strategies showed consistent negative associations across all HRQoL dimensions.ConclusionAdaptive coping strategies, particularly positive attitude and social support, play a pivotal role in enhancing athletes’ HRQoL, surpassing the influence of BMI, sex, and age. These findings support the development of tailored psychological interventions to foster athlete wellbeing across competitive levels. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d0a1e149bf4240eb849a4f0f91ba7689 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-042X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Physiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-d0a1e149bf4240eb849a4f0f91ba76892025-08-20T03:24:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Physiology1664-042X2025-06-011610.3389/fphys.2025.16260371626037Interplay between sex, age, BMI, health-related quality of life, and coping strategies in amateur and professional athletesWalter Sapuppo0Walter Sapuppo1Walter Sapuppo2Davide Giacconi3Davide Giacconi4Antonietta Monda5Antonietta Messina6Daniele Saccenti7Claudia Maria Mineo8Claudia Maria Mineo9Maria Casillo10Salvatore Allocca11Giovanni Michelini12Giovanni Michelini13Regina Gregori Grgič14Vincenzo Monda15Jacopo Lamanna16Mattia Ferro17Girolamo Di Maio18Marcellino Monda19Marco La Marra20Department of Psychology, Sigmund Freud University Wien, Milan, ItalyStudi Cognitivi, Cognitive Psychotherapy School and Research Center, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, INSPIRE Lab, Sigmund Freud University Wien, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Sigmund Freud University Wien, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, INSPIRE Lab, Sigmund Freud University Wien, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Human Science and Quality of Life Promotion, San Raffaele Telematic University, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Sigmund Freud University Wien, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Sigmund Freud University Wien, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, INSPIRE Lab, Sigmund Freud University Wien, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Sigmund Freud University Wien, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Disabilities, Fondazione Istituto Ospedaliero di Sospiro, Sospiro, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Sigmund Freud University Wien, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Economics, Law, Cybersecurity, and Sports Sciences, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Naples, ItalyFaculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Sigmund Freud University Wien, Milan, Italy0Department of Psychology and Health Sciences, Pegaso Telematic University, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyBackground/ObjectivesThe psychological well-being of athletes has garnered increasing interest due to its strong association with physical performance. While somatic indicators such as Body Mass Index (BMI) are routinely monitored in sports, the role of psychological resources—especially coping strategies—in shaping Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the influence of psychological and physical factors on HRQoL among amateur and professional athletes, controlling for sex, age, and BMI.MethodsA cross-sectional design was adopted, involving 537 athletes (326 males, 211 females; mean age = 32.44, SD = 13.64), aged 18–76 years. Participants were recruited via online platforms and sports organizations and completed a battery of self-report questionnaires, including the SF-36 to assess HRQoL and the COPE-NVI-25 to evaluate coping strategies. BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the relative contributions of demographic, anthropometric, and psychological variables to HRQoL.ResultsDemographic variables and BMI explained a limited proportion of the variance in HRQoL. In contrast, coping strategies significantly contributed to HRQoL outcomes, accounting for up to 22.5% of the variance in the global SF-36 score. Positive attitude and social support were associated with better physical and mental health, while avoidance strategies showed consistent negative associations across all HRQoL dimensions.ConclusionAdaptive coping strategies, particularly positive attitude and social support, play a pivotal role in enhancing athletes’ HRQoL, surpassing the influence of BMI, sex, and age. These findings support the development of tailored psychological interventions to foster athlete wellbeing across competitive levels.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1626037/fullhealth-related quality of lifecoping strategiesathletesBody Mass Indexphysical activityamateur and professional sports |
| spellingShingle | Walter Sapuppo Walter Sapuppo Walter Sapuppo Davide Giacconi Davide Giacconi Antonietta Monda Antonietta Messina Daniele Saccenti Claudia Maria Mineo Claudia Maria Mineo Maria Casillo Salvatore Allocca Giovanni Michelini Giovanni Michelini Regina Gregori Grgič Vincenzo Monda Jacopo Lamanna Mattia Ferro Girolamo Di Maio Marcellino Monda Marco La Marra Interplay between sex, age, BMI, health-related quality of life, and coping strategies in amateur and professional athletes Frontiers in Physiology health-related quality of life coping strategies athletes Body Mass Index physical activity amateur and professional sports |
| title | Interplay between sex, age, BMI, health-related quality of life, and coping strategies in amateur and professional athletes |
| title_full | Interplay between sex, age, BMI, health-related quality of life, and coping strategies in amateur and professional athletes |
| title_fullStr | Interplay between sex, age, BMI, health-related quality of life, and coping strategies in amateur and professional athletes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Interplay between sex, age, BMI, health-related quality of life, and coping strategies in amateur and professional athletes |
| title_short | Interplay between sex, age, BMI, health-related quality of life, and coping strategies in amateur and professional athletes |
| title_sort | interplay between sex age bmi health related quality of life and coping strategies in amateur and professional athletes |
| topic | health-related quality of life coping strategies athletes Body Mass Index physical activity amateur and professional sports |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1626037/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT waltersapuppo interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT waltersapuppo interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT waltersapuppo interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT davidegiacconi interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT davidegiacconi interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT antoniettamonda interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT antoniettamessina interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT danielesaccenti interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT claudiamariamineo interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT claudiamariamineo interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT mariacasillo interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT salvatoreallocca interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT giovannimichelini interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT giovannimichelini interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT reginagregorigrgic interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT vincenzomonda interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT jacopolamanna interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT mattiaferro interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT girolamodimaio interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT marcellinomonda interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes AT marcolamarra interplaybetweensexagebmihealthrelatedqualityoflifeandcopingstrategiesinamateurandprofessionalathletes |