Associations between subjective and objective measures of stress and load: an insight from 45-week prospective study in 189 elite athletes

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14510%2F25%3A00141002" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14510/25:00141002 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1521290/full" target="_blank" >https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1521290/full</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1521290" target="_blank" >10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1521290</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Associations between subjective and objective measures of stress and load: an insight from 45-week prospective study in 189 elite athletes

Original language description

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between subjective and objective measures of stress and load in elite male handball players at both the group and individual levels. Methods: In this 45-week prospective cohort study, 189 elite male handball players weekly reported their perceived stress and load across training, competition, academic, and work domains. Blood samples were collected five times during the 2022/23 season to measure cortisol and the free testosterone to cortisol ratio (FTCR). We derived a “load” variable as the sum of training, competition, academic and work hours and calculated acute, chronic, and acute-to-chronic ratio variables for both load and stress. Associations between subjective and objective measures were analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation. Results: Weak to moderate positive associations were found between load and perceived stress (r = 0.19 to 0.46, p &lt; 0.001), and between perceived stress and cortisol (r = 0.10, p = 0.023). Weak negative associations were found between perceived stress and FTCR (r = −0.18 to −0.20, p &lt; 0.001) and between load and FTCR (r = −0.13, p = 0.003). A total of 86% of athletes had positive associations between stress and load (47% weak, 34% moderate, 5% high); 78% between stress and cortisol (27% weak, 22% moderate, 29% high); and 63% demonstrated negative associations between FTCR and load (18% weak, 32% moderate, 13% high). Conclusion: This study highlights the complexity between subjective and objective measures of stress and load in athletes. Understanding the link between these measures may help coaches and sports scientists streamline athlete monitoring. In cases where moderate to strong associations exist, subjective measures might serve as a reliable substitute for objective ones, making the monitoring process more time- and cost-efficient. Copyright © 2025 Drole, Doupona, Steffen, Jerin and Paravlic.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

30306 - Sport and fitness sciences

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Frontiers Media SA

ISSN

1664-1078

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

15

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1521290

Country of publishing house

CH - SWITZERLAND

Number of pages

11

Pages from-to

1-11

UT code for WoS article

001413755700001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85216772558