Effects of aerobic exercises with music on sportsmen stress and anxiety

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD student in Sports Psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Master student of sports psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

3 PhD Student in Sports Psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

4 PhD student in sports physiology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Goal: This study aims to investigate the effects of aerobic exercises and music on the level of stress and anxiety of sportsmen.

Method: The study is an applied study in terms of goal and semi-experimental administration. The statistical population consists of al Futsal athletes in various sports matches held by Tehran’s Islamic Azad University in 2019. The sample was selected via the convenience sampling method. Thus, the number of 30 sportsmen were randomly placed in an experimental and a control group, with each involving 15 people. The scales used in the study consist of Cohen’s Stress Perception Questionnaire (1982) and Smith et al.’s Sports Anxiety Questionnaire (1990). The administered protocol also included aerobic exercises and music held in twelve 60-minute sessions (three sessions per week). Data are analyzed by SPSS software (version 20) using Covariance analysis.

Findings: Covariance analysis suggests a significant difference between the mean posttest scores of the experimental and the control groups after controlling for the initial differences of the pretest of stress and anxiety (P>0.001).

Discussion and conclusion: The findings revealed that music-based aerobic exercises could be used to reduce sportsmen’s stress and anxiety in sports fields such as futsal.

Keywords