The Effect of Neuroticism on Autonomic Cardiac Responses Caused by Mental Stress in University Student-Athletes

Year 2023, , 630 - 640, 29.10.2023

Erman Doğan

https://doi.org/10.38021/asbid.1364190

Abstract

The present study investigated whether neuroticism might have predictive ability for athletes' Heart Rate Variability (HRV) in response to mental stress, a noninvasive measurement of the interaction between the autonomic nervous and cardiovascular systems. The sample included 49 university student-athletes aged 19 to 24. Participants first completed items from the Five Factor Personality Inventory concerning neuroticism to measure neuroticism. Then, their resting HRV’s were measured for four minutes. Afterward, participants took a modified version of the Stroop word-color task as the mental stressor within four minutes while their HRV responses were recorded. Results indicated a significant increase in terms of Heart Rate (HR) (z= 3.162, p= .002), Root Mean Square of the Successive (RMSSD) (z= 2.973, p= .003), Low Frequency (LF) (z= 3.027, p= .002), and High Frequency (HF) (z= 3.404, p= .001) from baseline to stressor condition in the low neuroticism group. On the other hand, no significant increase was observed in RMSSD (z= 1.314, p= .189) and LF (z= 1.173, p= .241) from baseline to stressor condition in the high neuroticism group. Results also revealed a significant increase in HR (z= 2.543, p= .011) and HF (z= 2.229, p= .026) from baseline to stressor condition in the high neuroticism group. The results observed in the present study revealed that athletes' responses to mental stress might vary due to personality traits, especially neuroticism. In conclusion, researchers and practitioners aiming to regulate athletes' psychophysiological responses to stress should consider personality traits such as neuroticism.

Keywords

Neuroticism, Stroop Test, HRV

Nevrotikliğin Üniversite Öğrencisi Sporcularda Mental Stresin Neden Olduğu Otonomik Kardiyak Yanıtlar Üzerindekı̇ Etkisı̇

Abstract

Bu çalışmada; nevrotikliğin, sporcuların mantal stresöre maruz kaldıklarında, otonom sinir ve kardiyovasküler sistemler arasındaki etkileşimin sonucu olarak gerçekleşen Kalp Atım Hızı Değişkenliğini (KHD) öngörme yeteneğine sahip olup olmadığı araştırılmıştır. Örneklem, yaşları 19 ila 24 arasında olan 49 üniversite öğrencisi sporcudan oluşmaktadır. Katılımcılar ilk olarak nevrotikliği ölçmek için Beş Faktör Kişilik Envanterinden nevrotikliğe ilişkin maddeleri doldurdular. Daha sonra istirahat halindeki KHD'leri dört dakika boyunca kayıt altına alındı. Daha sonra katılımcılar, KHD yanıtları kaydedilirken dört dakika içinde zihinsel stresör olarak Stroop kelime-renk görevinin düzenlenmiş bir versiyonunu uyguladılar. Sonuçlar; Kalp Atım Hızı (KH) (z= 3.162, p= .002), Ardışık NN Aralıkları Farklarının Ortalamalarının Kare Kökü’nün (AFOKK) (z= 2.973, p= .003), Düşük Frekans (DF) (z= 3,027, p= 0,002) ve Yüksek Frekans (YF) (z= 3,404, p= 0,001) açısından düşük nevrotiklik grubunda istirahat durumundan zihinsel stresör koşuluna kadar anlamlı bir artış olduğunu gösterdi. Öte yandan yüksek nevrotiklik grubunda AFOKK (z= 1,314, p= 0,189) ve DF (z= 1,173, p= 0,241) değerlerinde istirahat durumundan zihinsel stresör koşuluna kadar anlamlı bir artış gözlenmedi. Sonuçlar aynı zamanda yüksek nevrotiklik grubunda KH (z= 2,543, p= 0,011) ve YF (z= 2,229, p= 0,026) açısından da istirahat durumundan zihinsel stresör koşuluna kadar anlamlı bir artış olduğunu ortaya koydu. Bu çalışmada gözlemlenen sonuçlar, sporcuların mental strese verdikleri tepkilerin kişilik özelliklerine, özellikle nevrotikliğe bağlı olarak değişebileceğini ortaya koymuştur. Sonuç olarak, sporcuların strese karşı psikofizyolojik tepkilerini düzenlemeyi amaçlayan araştırmacı ve uygulayıcıların nevrotiklik gibi kişilik özelliklerini dikkate almaları gerekmektedir.

Keywords

Nevrotiklik, Stroop Testi, KHD

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