Investigation of the relationship between high school students' attitudes towards sports and stress coping styles

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between high school students' attitudes toward sports and their coping styles for stress. The research employed a relational survey model, which is a quantitative research method. The population of the study consists of high school students, while the sample includes 353 students selected using a convenience sampling method. For data collection, the study utilized a Personal Information Form prepared by the researcher, the Coping Styles Scale developed by Şahin and Durak (1995), and the Attitude toward Sports Scale developed by Şentürk (2012). Before data collection, participants were asked to sign a voluntary consent form, ensuring that only willing participants took part in the study. Data were collected through face-toface administration of the scales, with prior information provided about the scales. After collecting the data, it was transferred to the SPSS program for analysis. To determine the normal distribution of the data, the kurtosis and skewness values of the sub-dimensions of the scales used in the study were examined, and it was found that the values fell within the ±2 range. Thus, the data were assumed to show a normal distribution, allowing for the application of parametric tests. The analyses revealed that high school students' coping styles for stress and their attitudes toward sports showed significant differences according to independent variables. Furthermore, a positive medium-level relationship was found between attitudes toward sports and the self-confident approach and optimistic approach sub-dimensions. A positive low-level relationship was identified between attitudes toward sports and the seeking social support sub-dimension, while a negative low-level relationship was found between attitudes toward sports and the helpless approach and submissive approach sub-dimensions.