Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the correlation of sports activity (SA) with stress experience and evaluation of satisfaction with life among adult Slovenians. Methods: Data was collected with a survey on a representative sample of 856 adult Slovenians (average age 39 +/- 13.73 years). We determined sports activity with incidence of any sports activity - times per week. To determine mental health, the respondents marked how often the 9 signs of stress appeared within a last month and how satisfied they were with their life. Scores on the first component of stress and satisfaction with life scale were computed using Anderson-Rubin method. The correlations between variables were evaluated using the Spearman correlation coefficient and general linear models. Results: SA is statistically significantly correlated with stress (p= .03) and satisfaction with life (p= .00). In the models for prediction of stress and satisfaction with life, the set of predictors (SA, age, gender and education) has a significant effect (R-2= .040, p< .001; R-2= .068, p< .001), with SA having a statistically significant effect only on value of life satisfaction (eta(2)(part)= .020, p= .002). A set of all mentioned predictors has significant effect on stress, while only education beside SA has a statistically significant effect on satisfaction with life. Conclusions: It could be concluded that individuals that are more active in sports experience the signs of stress less often and that they are more satisfied with their lives, but taking age, gender and education into consideration, SA is not the main predictor.
