Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study sought to 1) ascertain the severity of the stress experienced by high school athletes due to playing a sport, 2) understand how these athletes deal with their stress, and if these athletes desire help from someone and 3) determine whether athletes consider their stress a debilitating factor. METHODS: 200 high school athletes between the ages of 16 and 17 were surveyed using an anonymous online survey platform to discover the relationship between stress and sports. The survey examined both male and female athletes from a variety of sports, different locations, and different ethnicities. RESULTS: Approximately 91% of all the cohort experienced some level of stress due to sports. Interestingly, about a third claimed stress positively affected performance. Fear of failure and self-pressure were the most common causes of stress. About 27% who were experiencing moderate to extreme stress wanted, but did not receive, help from a medical professional. However, of all the participants who experienced some level of stress, only 18% believed that receiving help from a medical professional would not be beneficial for them. CONCLUSION: While it is easy to overlook and minimize the stress of a high school athlete, doing so may cause future problems such as anxiety and depression, both of which have been steadily increasing among that same population. It is important that, if needed, these athletes have access to medical professionals to adequately manage their stress.