Examination of Perceived Stress and Cognitive Flexibility in Terms of Executive Functions in Young Athletes

Aim: Stress, known as the disease of modern society, is a condition that negatively affects individuals both mentally and physiologically. Especially in athletes, both the stress of life and the stress of training and competition arising from the nature of the sport cause negative results in terms of performance on the athletes. This study aims to investigate the perceived stress levels and cognitive flexibility of young athletes in terms of executive function. Material and Method: This study consists of 159 volunteer young athletes. Sociodemographic data form, Cognitive Flexibility (CF) Scale and Perceived Stress (PS) Scale were administered to the participants. In addition, the executive function performances of the participants were obtained by using the Stroop Test (ST), which is a neuropsychological test battery. Results: In the study, it was observed that there was a negative relationship between CF and PS (r=-.784, p<0.001) and ST (r=-.427, p<0.01). A significant positive correlation was found between PS and ST (r= .303, p<.01) scores. It was determined that sport branch and the educational status of the parents was statistically significant in CF scores, PS scores and ST in young athletes (p<0.05). Conclussions: As a result, changes in PS, CF, and ST scores are correlated. The conclusion that the individual's psychological structure and neuropsychological structure are related in the context of the brain-behavior relationship was supported by the findings of our study. In order to minimize the perceived stress in athletes, cognitive exercises should be included in addition to sports training.