Perceived stress in Mexican athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic: differences by gender and performance level

One of the main consequences of the current COVID-19 pandemic is the impact on anxiety and stress levels. Among the factors that must be taken into account to evaluate the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on athletes are sociodemographic factors, so the objective of this study was to analyze if the perception of stress depends on gender and performance level in Mexican athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample of this study was made up of 596 Mexican athletes, of both sexes (women = 40.4%) and aged between 13 and 40 years (M = 22.3, SD = 6.87). The athletes answered the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and a questionnaire covering socio-demographic data. The results obtained through the comparison of groups, indicated that women presented higher levels of perceived stress than men. On the other hand, amateur athletes reported higher levels of perceived stress than professional athletes. The results of the difference analysis shows that the perception of stress depends on sex and performance level were predictors of perceived stress.