THE EFFECT OF TENNIS EXERCISE PARTICIPATION ON STRESS LEVEL OF SECONDARY STUDENTS

During the COVID-19 disease process, studies on mental health have mostly been done on adults. This study aimed to examine the effect of secondary school students' participation in regular and moderate intensity tennis exercises on stress levels during the pandemic period. The research was carried out with an experimental method and sequential design. The study sample, 46 volunteer students, was divided into two groups as experimental and control groups. ‘Personal Information Form’ and ‘Stress Scale’ were administered to the students in both groups as a pretest and 12 weeks later as a post-test. As a result of the normality tests (Skewness and Kurtosis), it was determined that the data met normal distribution assumption; thus, the Independent Sample T-Test and Paired Samples T-Test were applied. The significance level was accepted as p< 0.05. According to the study’s findings, there was a statistically significant difference in the experimental group’s stress levels between the pretest (39.30 ± 10) and post-test (32.00 ± 6). At the same time, there was no statistically significant difference between the control group’s pre-test (35.52 ± 9) and post-test (35.82 ±9). Consequently, this study reveals that participation in 12 weeks of regular tennis exercise significantly reduces the stress level of secondary school students. Research reveals the importance of participation in physical activities in reducing stress. In this context, participation in tennis exercise seems to be an important way to protect and improve the mental health of mentally disadvantaged adolescents, especially during the pandemic period.