The Relationship Between Problem-Solving Skills and Humor-Based Coping Strategies in Young Football Players
Abstract
The primary aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between humor-based coping strategies and problem-solving skills among young football players aged 17-21 years. A correlational survey design was conducted with 309 male athletes who are actively professional football players in the Alanya district of Antalya province. The Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Short Form and the Coping Humor Scale were used as data collection instruments. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and simple regression analysis. Regarding the factors of age and football experience, there were generally no significant differences in humor-based coping and problem-solving skills. However, in the careless/impulsive style subscale, the 17-year-old group scored significantly lower than the 20-year-old group. A strong positive correlation was detected between problem-solving skills and humor-based coping. Simple regression analysis demonstrated that problem-solving skills revealed 20.8% of the variance in humor-based coping behavior. The research indicated a strong positive relationship between problem-solving skills and humor-based coping strategies among young football players. It was observed that young athletes with high problem-solving skills use humor as an effective coping mechanism. These findings demonstrate the methodological necessity of employing integrated approaches that incorporate humor and problem-solving skills in enhancing the psychological resilience of young athletes.
Keywords
Ethical Statement
The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Sports Sciences, Selçuk University (Decision No: 2025/217, date: 05/28/2025).
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