Pre-Competition Stress in Female Volleyball Players: The Role of Experience, Sleep, and Coping

Background/Objectives: Athletes face both daily and sport-related stressors while being expected to perform at an optimal level. Effective recovery, particularly adequate sleep, plays a key role in psychophysiological restoration and performance, whereas sleep deprivation may impair functioning and increase perceived stress. This study examined the associations between coping strategies, sleep quality, athletic experience, competitive level, and perceived stress during the pre-competition period among female volleyball players. Methods: Ninety-one athletes (aged 18-35, M = 23.03, SD = 4.37) from three Polish professional leagues-Tauron (n = 31), First League (n = 30), and Second League (n = 30)-completed an online battery including the Stress Coping Strategies in Sport Questionnaire (SR3S), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and a demographic survey. Results: Based on PSQI scores, approximately 60% of the athletes were classified as poor sleepers. No significant differences in sleep quality or perceived stress were found across leagues. However, athletes competing in higher leagues reported more frequent use of mental coping strategies. Athletic experience, sleep quality, and the coping strategy of seeking social support were significantly associated with perceived stress. Players with less experience, poorer sleep, and a greater tendency to seek social support reported higher stress levels. The positive association between support-seeking and stress likely reflects reactive coping among more stressed athletes rather than a maladaptive effect of social support. Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of promoting adaptive coping and sleep hygiene in competitive sport, particularly among less experienced female athletes during the pre-competition period.