An examination of the relationship between taekwondo athletes' views on anxiety and struggle levels and the use of ergogenic aids

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between taekwondo athletes' views on their levels of anxiety and struggle and their use of ergogenic aids. The study sample consisted of 443 female and 174 male volunteer athletes aged between 14 and 20 who practice taekwondo in sports clubs across Turkey. A personal information form, the Athlete Nutritional Supplement Attitude Factors Scale, and the Sport Struggle and Anxiety Scale were used in the study. The data obtained through these instruments were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 26.0 software. In addition to descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA were used to determine differences between groups among parametric tests, while Pearson correlation were applied to examine relationships. As a result of these analyses, athletes' attitudes toward nutritional supplementation were examined, and significant differences were found based on variables such as gender, duration of athletic experience, purpose of sports participation, and body mass index (BMI). Furthermore, participants' scores on struggle and anxiety in sports showed significant differences according to gender and national team status, whereas no significant differences were found with respect to duration of athletic experience, BMI, or age. Additionally, a low positive correlation was found between the benefit subdimension of nutritional supplement attitudes and anxiety and struggle, while no significant relationships were observed with other subdimensions. In light of these findings, it is recommended that seminars be organized to increase athletes' awareness regarding anxiety, struggle, and the use of ergogenic aids in sports.