title: A Negative Life Event Impairs Psychosocial Stress, Recovery and Running Economy of Runners.
abstract: The purpose was to investigate how a negative life event (NLE) affects perceived psychosocial stress, recovery and running economy (RE). Competitive runners were monitored in a prospective non-experimental cohort study over one full training season in which they experienced the same unplanned severe NLE. 16 runners recorded stress and recovery scores (RESTQ-Sport) every week. The average scores over 3 weeks before the NLE were used as a baseline and were compared to scores during the week of the NLE (week 0), week 1 and week 2. 7 runners completed a submaximal treadmill test before and after the NLE. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed that most scores on general stress scales were increased in week 0 and 1. Of the general recovery scales, "general well-being" was decreased in week 0 and 1, "social" and "physical recovery" were decreased in week 0. No changes in the sport-specific stress scales were found. However, 2 of the sport-specific recovery scales were decreased in week 0. An impaired RE was shown 3 weeks after the NLE. Therefore, it is important to know what is going on in an athlete's life, because stressful life events alter RE after the stress and recovery already returned to normal levels.
authors.affiliation: Hanze University of Applied Sciences, School of Sport Studies, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R T A
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Otter
authors.affiliation: Hanze University of Applied Sciences, School of Sport Studies, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Brink
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Sports Medicine Center, Departement of Orthopeadics, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Diercks
authors.affiliation: Hanze University of Applied Sciences, School of Sport Studies, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: K A P M
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Lemmink
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000523:psychology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012420:Running / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D055815:Young Adult