Evaluation of a stress prevention program for young high-performance athletes

ObjectiveThe present study evaluated the effectiveness and acceptance of a stress prevention program for young elite athletes in education.MethodIn a non-randomized controlled trial 28 elite athletes (swimming, basketball, boxing, weight lifting) participated in a stress prevention training. The control group, consisting of 28 elite athletes (swimming, basketball, soccer, boxing, weight lifting, wrestling, triathlon), did not receive a training. Mean age was 17.50 years in the experimental group and 16.36 years in the control group. 75.0%, respectively 67.9% were female. The main outcome measures were perceived stress, self-efficacy and knowledge about stress and stress prevention before and 4 weeks after the program. Additionally, program satisfaction was analyzed in the experimental group.ResultsParticipants of the experimental group showed significant improvements in self-efficacy and knowledge in the analysis with the paired t-test, ANOVA results only revealed a trend for a significant effect on knowledge. No significant effects were found in the control group. Participants rated our prevention program as beneficial and recommendable.ConclusionThe training program increased the knowledge about stress and stress prevention and had a positive effect on self-efficacy.