PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO NATIONAL-LEVEL COMPETITION IN ELITE KARATE ATHLETES: CHANGES IN DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS MEASURED BY DASS-21

Abstract

Competitive participation in elite karate may be associated with psychological demands that influence athletes’ emotional states before and after competition. However, limited research has examined depression, anxiety, and stress simultaneously among elite national-level karate athletes across pre- and post-competition periods. A pre- and post competition assessment design was employed among elite national-level karate athletes participating in the 2026 New Delhi Senior National Karate Championship. A total of 97 male and female elite national-level karate athletes participated in the study and were included in the analysis. Depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed using the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Pre-competition data were collected within one hour before competition, while post competition data were collected 30–40 minutes after competition. Descriptive statistics, Shapiro–Wilk tests, paired samples t-tests, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for data analysis. The mean depression score decreased from 9.03 ± 3.64 before competition to 7.64 ± 3.58 after competition. Anxiety decreased from 9.31 ± 3.58 to 8.11 ± 3.18, while stress decreased from 9.23 ± 3.71 to 8.03 ± 3.26. Paired-samples t-tests showed significant reductions in depression (t (96) = 4.10, p <.001), anxiety (t (96) = 3.53, p <.001), and stress (t (96) = 3.10, p =.003).Corresponding within-person effect sizes were small to moderate (Cohen’s dz = 0.42, 0.36, and 0.31, respectively). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests confirmed significant pre- to post-competition differences for depression (Z = 3.51, p < .001), anxiety (Z = 3.17, p = .002), and stress (Z = 2.96, p = .003). Elite national-level karate athletes reported significantly lower depression, anxiety, and stress scores after competition compared with the pre-competition period. These findings suggest that psychological states may vary across the competition period. However, because the study did not include a non-competing control group, the observed reductions cannot be attributed solely to competition. Future research should incorporate control groups, multiple competitions, additional assessment points, and competition-related factors to better understand psychological changes among elite karate athletes.