POST-COMPETITION STRESS AND RECOVERY OUTCOMES AMONG UNIVERSITY ATHLETES: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY

Fatima Mubarik; Maheen Hashim Khan Burki; Hozaifa Bin Asif; Zeeshan Haider; Syed Muhammad Gullam Abbas Naqvi

doi:10.5281/

Authors

Fatima Mubarik Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences University of Education Author
Maheen Hashim Khan Burki Lecturer, Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Education Lahore, Author
Hozaifa Bin Asif PhD Scholar, Department of Sports Sciences and Physical Education, University of the Punjab, Lahore Author
Zeeshan Haider Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences University of Education Author
Syed Muhammad Gullam Abbas Naqvi Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences University of Education Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/

Abstract

Background: It's not uncommon for athletes to feel mentally and physically fatigue right after a big game, but post-competition stress doesn't get the attention it deserves. University athletes, in particular, have a lot on their plates, juggling tough classes with intense training, which can make this kind of stress even harder to shake off.

Objectives: This study wanted to find out whether there's a real link between how much stress athletes feel after competing and how well they recover afterward. Specifically, we looked at things like getting their energy back, sleeping well, feeling physically restored, and simply staying in a good headspace.

Methods: We worked with 180 university athletes from the University of Education, Lahore, during the 2025–2026 school year. Most were between 18 and 25 years old, and just over half (51.4%) were female. We asked them to fill out two questionnaires: one measured their post-competition stress within a day or two after their event, and the other (the RESTQ-Sport) looked at their recovery a few days later. Then we ran correlation and regression analyses to see how the two were connected.

Results: What we found was fairly obvious: the more stress athletes reported after competing, the worse their recovery tended to be. They felt more worn out, slept more poorly, had less drive to get back to training, and just didn't bounce back physically as well. The numbers also showed that post-competition stress on its own was a strong predictor of poor recovery.

Conclusion: This matters because it means paying attention to how athletes feel right after competing is just as important as what they do physically to recover. Coaches, sports psychologists, and university staff can use these findings to build better support systems—ones that take both the mind and body seriously—to help student-athletes truly recover and thrive.