Abstract
This study aimed to examine the psychological characteristics of competitive swimmers during long-term activity restrictions due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and difference in psychological skills between men and women at different competition levels. Participants were selected from 118 competitive swimmers who trained daily before the long period of restraint from activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants responded to basic attributes, psychological performance self-esteem (SE), diagnostic inventory of psychological competitive ability for athletes (DIPCA.3), and self-trust scale for athletes, and comparisons were made by gender and competitive level. The responses were tabulated and subjected to t-tests and one-way analysis of variance. Results showed that men scored higher in relaxation ability and confidence than women. Entries were classified into three groups: international, national, and local competitions. A comparison between international and local competitions showed significant differences in self-control ability SE, including strategic ability SE and mental stability and concentration, both of which were higher in the international competition group. These results suggest that psychological skills tend to differ between men and women and at different competition levels in terms of sport activity limitation due to COVID-19.
