Perceived Stress and Coping Strategies in Dancesport

Introduction: Ballroom dancing, particularly in its competitive form of dancesport, has been recognized for its beneficial effects on physical health and psychological well-being. In recent years, research attention has also shifted toward examining its associations with psychological constructs such as stress, anxiety, and coping. Study Design: The present cross-sectional comparative study aimed to compare sport dancers and non-dancers in the level of perceived stress and the coping strategies. Additionally, the study explored the relative contribution of specific coping strategies to perceived stress while controlling for sex, age, and dance status. Methods: The sample consisted of 119 participants aged 18 to 31, of whom 61 were competitive sport dancers. Research data collection was conducted using a form containing a demographic section focusing on dancesport, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Brief COPE questionnaire. The results of the research do not indicate significant differences in levels of perceived stress; non-dancers, male and female sport dancers perceive stress at similar levels. Regarding coping, sport dancers also less frequently choose a problem-solving coping compared to non-dancers (P = .007). Defensive strategies were the most significant predictor of perceived stress of the sport dancers (P < .001). Conclusion: The research findings can be applied in sport and dance psychology, dance coach education, promoting the development of constructive coping in sport dancers via mental contrasting, advanced competition practice and as well as the overall training program in a dynamic dance environment.