Experienced stress among winter swimmers and martial arts athletes in Poland, Italy, Latvia and Romania

Description

Long-term stress and its cumulative effects generate poor adaptation and lowers individual’s biological immunity (Sapolsky, 2010). The purpose of the research was to investigate the experienced stress of winter swimmers, martial arts athletes from various countries, and the perceived stress of non-athletes (having a sedentary behavior). The study was carried out in Italy, Latvia, Poland and Romania. A total of 323 participants (172 women and 151 men) took part in the study, including 188 martial arts athletes (70 women and 118 men), 72 winter swimmers (51 women and 21 men), and 63 non-athletes (51 women and 12 men). The Perception of Stress Questionnaire by Makarowski and Plopa (2010) was used to assess participants’ experienced stress (generally). The lowest levels of total stress but, also, taking into consideration each factor: external stress, emotional tension and intrapsychic stress were reported by winter swimmers, while the highest values were observed in Polish non-athletes (who experienced, generally, the highest levels of intrapsychic stress and emotional tension), and in martial arts athletes from Latvia. Male combat sport athletes from Italy, Latvia, Poland and Romania perceived higher levels of stress compared to female athletes. Pro-health behaviors, such as winter swimming and training in martial arts lowers intrapsychic stress, external stress and emotional tension, physical fitness being an important buffer against stress. The present findings can be of interest for sedentary people, sports psychologists, coaches, raising awareness about winter swimming potential to reduce perceived stress.

Period	8 Nov 2025
Event title	Teachers for the knowledge society – 8th edition
Event type	Conference
Conference number	8
Location	Ploiesti, RomaniaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International