Impact of COVID-19 on Athletes’ Daily Lives and Athletic Activities based on Their Individual Characteristics

抄録

This study investigates the relationship between the individual characteristics of athletes and the perceived impact of COVID-19 on their daily lives and athletic activities. Participants were 476 Japanese athletes (250 males and 226 females; mean age = 28.39 ± 6.53 years) registered as respondents at an Internet research company and who met the athletic-related inclusion criteria. The investigation took place from the 6^th–13^th April 2020, just before the Japanese government declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants answered questions related to socio-demographic variables, the impact of COVID-19 on daily life and athletic activities and completed the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. The results showed that the emergency declaration area, marital status, and gender were directly related to annual income, and that they indirectly influenced the impact of COVID-19 on athletes’ daily lives and athletic activities through annual income. Additionally, although a state of emergency being declared in the region impacted the daily lives of all participants and their athletic activities, unmarried and female athletes with low incomes were among the most affected by COVID-19-related measures.