Exposição à violência no desporto

: estratégias de coping e relação com a performance em atletas

Abstract

Violence is currently an integral part of the sporting context, and constitutes a potentially stressful experience that can compromise athletes' well-being and sporting performance. This study aimed to analyze the mediating role of coping strategies in the relationship between exposure to violence and athletes' perception of sporting performance, in a sample (N = 250) of handball, basketball and soccer athletes. It was found that greater exposure of athletes to violence leads to a lower perception of their sport performance. However, more frequent exposure to these behaviors predicts a greater use of coping strategies, some of which have a potential positive effect on the perception of sporting performance. A mediation effect of the active confrontation coping strategy was also found: the greater the exposure to violence, the greater the use of active confrontation coping strategies, which, in turn, predicts greater individual performance. Thus, these results highlight the importance of a greater understanding of the use of coping strategies in the sporting context, as well as the most effective strategies, to help athletes deal with exposure to violence, so that their performance is maximized.

Date of Award	11 Jul 2024
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Catarina Morais (Supervisor)