Changes of Mood and Attention Divisibility in Rowers Exposed to High-intensity Training

Higher probability of succeeding in competitive sports is to a large extent associated with psychological preparation. Emotional and cognitive functioning are important factors that can modulate the attitude of competitive athletes and be reflected by their sports achievements. Participation in high-intensity training, being both physically and psychologically taxiing, can exert significant effect on mood changes and attention divisibility. The study included 10 male rowers, members of the Polish National Rowing Team, who participated in an 8-week high-intensity training program. The participants were examined with the UMACL mood survey and computer test for attention divisi bility. Moreover, their blood cortisol levels were determined. No significant associations between mood and blood cortisol level were documented. The level of tension arousal decreased significantly between the first and second measurement, suggesting that our athletes experienced the highest level of stress immediately prior to the high-intensity training program. Moreover, we observed strong correlations between good mood, manifested by high levels of hedonic tone, and poor results of the attention divisibility test. The results of mood testing support the postulate on cooperation with sports psychologists in the management of athletes’ emotions. Moreover, individualized meticulous interviews should be conducted with athletes, and their results should be analyzed in conjunction with the results of physiological measurements, in order to comprehensively explore the relationship between psychological and somatic stress.