The Relationship between Free Time Satisfaction and Stress Levels of Elite-Level Student-Wrestlers

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between free time satisfaction and stress levels of elite level student wrestlers according to some demographic factors. The sample of the study consisted of 119 (85 male and 34 female) elite level student wrestlers who participated in the Wrestling National Team camp in 2018. As data collection tools, “Personal Information Form”, “Stress Scale in Working Life: SSWL”, and “Free Time Satisfaction Scale: FTSS” were used. In the analysis of the derived data, t-test, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis were used, and Pearson Correlation test was applied to examine relations between study variables. There was no significant difference in the t-test results according to the “gender” variable (p > 0.05). There was a meaningful, low-level negative correlation between the “age” variable and social, aesthetic, sub-dimensions of stress scale. As a result, this study found that participants’ free time satisfaction levels were related to age; and stress levels were related to age, sport year, national team year, and income level.

1. Introduction

Today, free time or recreational activities are the greatest entertainment, happiness, and saturation point of all individuals. Such activities will move individuals away from stress, anxiety, and unhappiness. Thus, it can be said that the quality of life is increased. Quality of life is closely related to our health status. It is influenced by our behavior regarding food style, sports activity, workplace, the way we can or cannot relax, or the way we know how to choose or distinguish between right or wrong [1,2]. Moreover, recreational activities will contribute to the achievement of their work or other physical activities.

Specific and intense training is central to performance enhancement and subsequent success in elite sports. Athletes aspire to be physically as well prepared as possible to compete in the highest levels of competition. Coaches and athletes, therefore, are constantly searching for new training methods and strategies to gain a competitive edge [3].

The concept of stress became an important part of today’s modern life. Stress, a term that is frequently used in daily life, is also a factor that affects all aspects of human life [4]. According to Aydin (2017), stress is expressed as one of the most important factors that affect the well-being of the individual negatively and disturbs their health [5]. In another definition, stress can be defined as an experience in which people perceive situational demands that exceed their coping resources [6,7].

Free time is a concept that has been defined in various ways. Free time was briefly defined as the time spent away from work, sleep, and necessary activities by Roberts, and the activities done in this time were named free time activities [8].

Schermerhorn et al. defined satisfaction as an emotional reaction of the individual against physical and social conditions, as well as against daily life activities and as the degree to which the expectations in the individual’s psychological contract are satisfied [9]. Free time satisfaction occurs if the leisure participation meets one’s expectations [10].

Free time satisfaction is the degree to which the expectations of the individual from the activities he actively or passively participated in voluntarily without any external pressures in order to gain new skills and have feelings of health, entertainment, content, renewal, and happiness with health, social, cultural, sportive, or artistic expectations [11]. In another definition, free time satisfaction can be defined as positive perceptions or feelings formed or gained by an individual engaging in leisure activities and choices [12].

These developments in the sport branches and reaching the upper limits of the competitions make it possible to increase the quantity and quality of the athletes at the elite level. The secret of reaching success requires psychological and sociological development, as well as physical development. Therefore, even if one of the effective causes is deficiency or insufficiency, the performance of the individual will decrease [13].

Elite-level athletes spend most of their time in the day with both physical and mental training. Especially because wrestling requires physical performance, the level of stress generated during training or competition is an important factor in achieving success. Controlling the level of stress of elite-level wrestlers and satisfying their leisure time activities will increase the likelihood of success in sports competitions. Therefore, in the scope of this research, the determination of stress and the free-time satisfaction levels of elite level wrestlers will shed light on the determinants of the factors affecting performance and support future studies.

In light of the above information, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between elite level wrestlers’ free time satisfaction and stress levels according to some demographic factors. As this is the first attempt to explore the relationship between free time satisfaction and stress levels of elite wrestlers, the findings of this study will inspire the coaches of Turkish national wrestling teams to take some precautions accordingly.

2. Materials and Methods

In the research, “Descriptive (Figurative) and Relational Search Model” was used in accordance with the above-mentioned research purposes.

2.1. Universe and Sampling

Research universe is composed of Turkish national level student wrestlers. The sample of the study is composed of 119 (85 male and 34 female) elite-level wrestlers who participated to the Turkish Wrestling National Team Camp in 2018. The data was derived from the beginning of February until the end of March in 2018 with the permission of the coaches. All the athletes participated in the study voluntarily without any exceptions.

2.2. Data Collection Tools

Personal Information Form, Free Time Satisfaction Scale, and Stress Scale were used as data collection tools in the study. At the beginning of the camp period, the researchers visited the camp and attended the opening meeting with the coaches and managers briefing all the athletes about the purpose of the study and the questionnaire forms. The forms were delivered to the athletes and recollected at the end of the camp period.

2.2.1. Personal Information Form

The personal information form consists of variables such as gender; age; income level; marital status; educational status; sport year, which shows the total years of wrestling practice; national team year, which shows the duration of the years on the national team; wrestling style; nationality grade; and free time-period.

2.2.2. Free Time Satisfaction Scale

The Free Time Satisfaction Scale was developed by Beard & Ragheb (1980) and Turkish adaptation was made by Gökçe & Orhan (2011) [12,14]. FTSS is composed of six sub-dimensions: psychological, educational, social, relaxation, physiological, and esthetic. The “Free Time Satisfaction Scale”, consisting of a total of 24 items, was rated on a 5-point Likert type scale, and expressions were scored as “1 = Almost Not True”, “2 = Rarely True”, “3 = Sometimes True”, “4 = Many Times True”, and “5 = Almost Always True”.

2.2.3. Stress Scale

The “Stress Scale” developed by Odabası (2006) consists of 10 expressions to determine the stress level [15]. These expressions are prepared according to the Likert scale of 5 and are scored as “never = 1, rarely = 2, occasional = 3, frequent = 4, and very frequently = 5” [16].

2.3. Analysis of Data

SPSS 23.0 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) package program was used in the analysis of the data. In the descriptive data analysis, frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation analyzes were used. In the analysis of the data, according to the demographic characteristics of the participants, t-test, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis used to investigate the differences between free time satisfaction and stress levels, Pearson Correlation test was applied to examine relations between variables. In the statistical analysis of the data α = 0.05, significance level was taken into consideration.

It can be said that these calculated values are within statistically acceptable limits and are highly reliable [17]. Alfa Reliability Coefficients of both scales are presented in

Table 1. Free Time Satisfaction Scale and Stress Scale Alfa Reliability Coefficients.

Dimensions	N	Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient
Psychological	4 items	0.789
Educational	4 items	0.736
Social	4 items	0.735
Relaxation	4 items	0.680
Physiological	4 items	0.713
Esthetic	4 items	0.770
Free Time Satisfaction Scale	20 items	0.918
Stress Scale	10 items	0.860

N—number of subjects.

below.

3. Results

As presented in

Table 2. Frequency and Percentage Distributions of Participants.

Variables	Groups	N	%
Gender	Female	34	28.6
	Male	85	71.4
Wrestling Style	Free	79	66.4
	Greco-Roman	40	33.6
Education Status	Secondary	14	11.8
	University	95	79.8
	Postgraduate	10	8.4
Marital Status	Married	26	21.8
	Single	93	78.2
National Degree	A National	39	32.8
	B National	52	43.7
	C National	28	23.5
Total		119	100.0

N—number of subjects, %—percent.

, 28.6% of the participants are female, 71.4% are male wrestlers, and 79 of the wrestlers are freestyle 40 wrestlers in Greco-Roman style. 11.8% of the participants are in secondary education, 79.8% are in university, and 8.4% are in post-graduate education level. According to the marital status variable, 26 of the participants are single, and 93 are married. 32.8% of participants are composed of “A National”, 43.7% of “B National”, and 23.5% of “C National” wrestlers, which shows the level of national team participation. A refers to seniors participating in continental and world championships or more important multi-sport organizations; B refers to juniors/espoirs, and C to the athletes participating in international level tournaments.

According to

Table 3. Score Averages and Standard Deviation Values of Participants According to Variables.

Variables	N	$\overline{X}$	SD
Age	119	24.53	3.83
Sports Year	119	11.90	4.77
National Team Year	119	6.78	4.23
Income Level	119	3309.70	2252.18
Free Time	119	5.54	2.27

N—number of subjects; $\overline{\mathbf{X}}$—mean; SD—standard deviation.

, the average age of participants is 24.53; average of sports year 11.90; average of National Team Year 6.78; average of income level 3309.70 TL; average of free time 5.54 h.

According to the

Table 4. Two Independent Sample t-Test Results Towards Participants’ Gender Variables.

Dimensions	Gender	N	$\overline{X}$	SD	t	df	p
Psychological	Male	85	3.3059	0.82949	−0.736	117	0.540
	Female	34	3.4338	0.92177
Educational	Male	85	3.5235	0.68750	−0.551	117	0.649
	Female	34	3.6029	0.76405
Social	Male	85	3.5824	0.71171	−0339	117	0.191
	Female	34	3.6324	0.76682
Relaxation	Male	85	3.7676	0.67897	0.175	117	0.263
	Female	34	3.7426	0.76744
Physiological	Male	85	3.3824	0.75058	−1.874	117	0.939
	Female	34	3.6691	0.76307
Aesthetic	Male	85	3.6706	0.77461	−0.843	117	0.951
	Female	34	3.8015	0.74054
FTSS	Male	85	3.5387	0.55993	−0.901	117	0.054
	Female	34	3.6471	0.66803
SSWL	Male	85	3.1235	0.59575	6.658	117	0.561
	Female	34	2.3000	0.64338

N—number of subjects; $\overline{\mathbf{X}}$—mean; SD—standard deviation; t—Student test values; p—level of probability; df—degree of freedom.

, there was no statistically significant difference in the t-test results according to the “gender” variable (p > 0.05).

According to the

Table 5. Free Time Satisfaction Scale and Stress Scale Correlation Test Results According to the Age Variables of Participants.

Variable	Psych.	Educ.	Soc.	Relax.	Phys.	Esth.	FTSS	SSWL
Age	−0.136	−0.173	−0.192*	−0.063	−0.141	−0.253 *	−0.204 *	0.345 *

* p < 0.05.

, as a result of the correlation analysis made to show the relation between “age” variable and the FTSS subscales and Stress scale, FTSS “social” (r = −0.192 *, p < 0.05) and “esthetic” (r = −0.253 *, p < 0.05) sub-factors and FTSS total averages (r = −0.204 *, p < 0.05) were found to have a significant negative correlation at low level. Stress Scale total points (r = 0.345 *, p < 0.05) were found to have a statistically significant, moderate, positive relationship.

According to the

Table 6. Free Time Satisfaction Scale and Stress Scale Correlation Test Results According to the Sports Year Variables of Participants.

Variable	Psych.	Educ.	Soc.	Relax.	Phys.	Esth.	FTSS	SSWL
Sports Year	−0.099	−0.057	−0.116	0.043	−0.087	−0.167	−0.105	0.350 *

* p < 0.05.

, as a result of the correlation analysis made to show the relation between “sport year” and FTSS sub-factors and Stress Scale, the stress scale total scores (r = 0.350 *, p < 0.05) was found to have a statistically significant, moderate, positive relationship.

According to

Table 7. Free Time Satisfaction Scale and Stress Scale Correlation Test Results According to the National Team Year Variables of Participants.

Variable	Psych.	Educ.	Soc.	Relax.	Phys.	Esth.	FTSS	SSWL
National Team Year	−0.100	−0.016	−0.102	0.102	−0.065	−0.098	−0.063	0.323 *

* p < 0.05.

, as a result of the correlation analysis made to show the relation between “National Team Year” and FTSS sub-factors and Stress Scale, the stress scale total scores (r = 0.323 **, p < 0.05) were found to have a statistically significant, low-level, positive relationship.

According to the

Table 8. Free Time Satisfaction Scale and Stress Scale Correlation Test Results According to the Income Level Variables of Participants.

Variable	Psych.	Educ.	Soc.	Relax.	Phys.	Esth.	FTSS	SSWL
Income Level	0.005	−0.013	−0.018	−0.017	−0.099	0.020	−0.025	0.328 *

* p < 0.05.

, as a result of the correlation analysis made to show the relation between “income level” and FTSS sub-factors and Stress Scale, the stress scale total scores (r = 0.328 **, p < 0.05) were found to have a statistically significant, low-level, positive relationship.

According to the

Table 9. Free Time Satisfaction Scale and Stress Scale Correlation Test Results According to the Free Time Variables of Participants.

Variable	Psych.	Educ.	Soc.	Relax.	Phys.	Esth.	FTSS	SSWL
Free Time	0.121	0.156	0.158	0.049	0.027	0.101	0.130	0.139

, no statistically significant correlation was found as a result of correlation analysis (p > 0.05).

According to the

Table 10. Two Independent Sample t-Test Results Towards Participants’ Wrestling Style Variables.

Dimensions	Wrestling Style	N	$\overline{X}$	SD	t	df	p
Psychological	Free	79	3.2880	0.83502	−0.976	117	0.517
	Greco-Roman	40	3.4500	0.89371
Educational	Free	79	3.5696	0.76265	0.505	117	0.044
	Greco-Roman	40	3.5000	0.59107
Social	Free	79	3.5570	0.75527	−0.838	117	0.191
	Greco-Roman	40	3.6750	0.66313
Relaxation	Free	79	3.7184	0.73092	−0.920	117	0.084
	Greco-Roman	40	3.8438	0.64223
Physiological	Free	79	3.4968	0.76113	0.653	117	0.574
	Greco-Roman	40	3.4000	0.76962
Esthetic	Free	79	3.7310	0.83087	0.460	117	0.103
	Greco-Roman	40	3.6625	0.61901
FTSS	Free	79	3.5601	0.63397	−0.246	117	0.080
	Greco-Roman	40	3.5885	0.50577
SSWL	Free	79	2.7873	0.74513	−2.205	117	0.031
	Greco-Roman	40	3.0875	0.60 434

N—number of subjects; $\overline{X}$—mean; SD—standard deviation; t—Student test values; p—level of probability; df—degree of freedom.

, when the participants’ free time satisfaction and stress point averages were examined in terms of wrestling style variables, a statistically significant difference was found in free time satisfaction scale “educational” sub-dimension and the stress scale total scores (p < 0.05). When the mean values were examined, it was seen that freestyle wrestlers have higher average values than Greco-Roman-style wrestlers in terms of the “educational” sub-dimension of the free time satisfaction scale; Greco-Roman-style wrestlers have higher average value than freestyle wrestlers in terms of stress scale total scores.

According to the

Table 11. Mann-Whitney U Test Results of Free Time Satisfaction Scale and Stress Scale Point Scores According to Participants’ Marital Status Variable.

Dimensions	Groups	N	Average Rank	Rank Sum	U	p
Psychological	Married	26	55.79	1450.50	1099.5	0.479
	Single	93	61.18	5689.50
Educational	Married	26	53.94	1402.50	1051	0.308
	Single	93	61.69	5737.50
Social	Married	26	52.56	1366.50	1015.5	0.210
	Single	93	62.08	5773.50
Relaxation	Married	26	67.71	1760.50	1008.5	0.194
	Single	93	57.84	5379.50
Physiological	Married	26	60.94	1584.50	1184.5	0.874
	Single	93	59.74	5555.50
Esthetic	Married	26	55.60	1445.50	1094.5	0.457
	Single	93	61.23	5694.50
FTSS	Married	26	57.17	1486.50	1135.5	0.636
	Single	93	60.79	5653.50
SSWL	Married	26	62.12	1615.00	1154	0.723
	Single	93	59.41	5525.00

N—number of subjects; U—the Mann-Whitney test value; p—level of probability.

, there was no statistically significant difference in the Mann-Whitney U results according to the “marital status” variable (p > 0.05).

According to

Table 12. Kruskal-Wallis Test Results of Free Time Satisfaction Scale and Stress Scale Point Scores According to Participants’ National Degree Variable.

Dimensions	Groups	N	Average Rank	df	X2	p
Psychological	A National	39	64.63	2	2.279	0.320
	B National	52	54.63
	C National	28	63.54
Educational	A National	39	63.68	2	0.684	0.710
	B National	52	57.85
	C National	28	58.88
Social	A National	39	62.06	2	5.404	0.067
	B National	52	52.60
	C National	28	70.88
Relaxation	A National	39	63.67	2	4.348	0.114
	B National	52	52.82
	C National	28	68.23
Physiological	A National	39	64.44	2	3.101	0.212
	B National	52	53.73
	C National	28	65.46
Esthetic	A National	39	63.68	2	1.375	0.503
	B National	52	55.86
	C National	28	62.57
FTSS	A National	39	63.45	2	3.189	0.203
	B National	52	53.75
	C National	28	66.80
SSWL	A National	39	57.56	2	1.681	0.431
	B National	52	64.52
	C National	28	55.00

N—number of subjects; X²—Kruskal-Wallis Test value; df—degree of freedom; p—level of probability.

, there was no statistically significant difference in the Kruskal-Wallis results according to the “national degree” variable (p > 0.05).

According to the

Table 13. Kruskal-Wallis Test Results of Free Time Satisfaction Scale and Stress Scale Point Scores According to Participants’ Education Status Variable.

Dimensions	Groups	N	Average Rank	df	X2	p
Psychological	Secondary	14	55.75	2	0.250	0.882
	University	95	60.47
	Postgraduate	10	61.45
Educational	Secondary	14	51.32	2	1.830	0.400
	University	95	62.14
	Postgraduate	10	51.85
Social	Secondary	14	55.29	2	0.787	0.675
	University	95	61.38
	Postgraduate	10	53.45
Relaxation	Secondary	14	53.71	2	3.479	0.176
	University	95	62.70
	Postgraduate	10	43.15
Physiological	Secondary	14	54.79	2	1.557	0.459
	University	95	59.51
	Postgraduate	10	71.95
Esthetic	Secondary	14	58.43	2	0.050	0.975
	University	95	60.35
	Postgraduate	10	58.90
FTSS	Secondary	14	52.36	2	1.048	0.592
	University	95	61.58
	Postgraduate	10	55.65
SSWL	Secondary	14	53.57	2	2.106	0.349
	University	95	62.22
	Postgraduate	10	47.95

N—number of subjects; X²—Kruskal-Wallis Test value; df—degree of freedom; p—level of probability.

, there was no statistically significant difference in the Kruskal-Wallis results according to the “education status” variable (p > 0.05).

According to the

Table 14. Correlation Test Results between Free Time Satisfaction Scale and Stress Scale.

Dimensions	Psych.	Educ.	Soc.	Relax.	Phys.	Esth.	FTSS	SSWL
Psych.	1
Educ.	0.613 **	1
Soc.	0.625 **	0.639 **	1
Relax.	0.454 **	0.423 **	0.611 **	1
Phys.	0.582 **	0.521 **	0.521 **	0.474 **	1
Esth.	0.537 **	0.546 **	0.559 **	0.534 **	0.474 **	1
FTSS	0.821 **	0.790 **	0.835 **	0.732 **	0.760 **	0.775 **	1
SSWL	−0.173	−0.241 **	−0.212 *	−0.180	−0.247 **	−0.187 *	−0.262 *	1

** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05.

, as a result of the correlation analysis made to show the relation between “Stress Scale and FTSS”, there was a statistically significant low level negative correlation between SSWL and FTSS (r = −0.262 **, p < 0.05), “educational” (r = −0.241 **, p < 0.05), “social” (r = −0.212 *, p < 0.05), “physiological” (r = −0.247 **, p < 0.05), and “esthetic” (r = −0.187 *, p < 0.05) sub-factors were found to have a significant negative correlation at low level.

4. Discussions

There was no statistically significant difference in the t-test results according to the “gender” variable in terms of FTSS and SSWL. Eraslan and Dunn (2015) did not find any significant difference according to the sex variable in their study entitled “Analysis of Stress Levels of School of Physical Education and Sports Students According to Various Variables” [18], which supports findings of this research. In the research carried out by Olff et al. (2007), it was indicated that stress level differs according to gender variable in the athletes, which contradicts the findings of this research [19]. Sonmezoglu et al. (2014) found that female attendees had higher levels of leisure satisfaction when compared to the males [20]. Therefore, some findings in previous research coincide with our research, but some do not.

According to correlation analysis between “age” variable and the FTSS subscales and Stress scale, FTSS “social” and “esthetic” sub-factors and FTSS total averages were found to have a significant low-level negative correlation. Akgul et al. (2014) indicated that there was no significant differences according to the age variables in the sub-scales of FTSS in their study [21]. Muzindutsi (2015) found that there was a positive low-level relation in terms of FTSS total scores and subscales [22]. These findings also do not coincide with the findings of this research.

As a result of the correlation analysis between sport year, national team year, income level, and FTSS sub-factors and Stress Scale, a statistically significant positive relationship was found in the Stress Scale. Ayyildiz and Gokyurek (2016) found that as the level of income increased, the level of free time satisfaction increased in the study of individuals participating in recreational dance activities [23]. Akgul et al. (2014) found that a significant difference has been revealed between Leisure Satisfaction Scale’s sub-scale of education and esthetic according to perceived income in their study [21]. They indicated that those who had higher perceived income had higher free-time satisfaction levels in terms of education and esthetics sub-dimension. All these findings support our findings. On the contrary, no statistically significant relation was found in terms of free-time variable.

When the participants’ free time satisfaction and stress point averages were examined in terms of wrestling style variable, a statistically significant difference was found in free-time satisfaction scale “educational” sub-dimension and the stress scale total scores. When the mean values were examined, it was seen that freestyle wrestlers have higher average values than Greco-Roman-style wrestlers in terms of the “educational” sub-dimension of the free time satisfaction scale. Greco-Roman-style wrestlers have higher average value than freestyle wrestlers in terms of stress-scale total scores.

There was no statistically significant difference in the Mann-Whitney U results according to the “marital status” variable. Ayyildiz and Gokyurek (2016) found that there was a meaningful relationship between the marital status variable and all the subdimensions [23]. This finding does not coincide with the findings of this research.

There was no statistically significant difference in the Kruskal-Wallis results according to the “national degree” and “education status” variables. Ayyildiz et al. (2016) found that there were no significant differences in FTSS total scores according to the national degree and education status [24]. This finding supports our findings.

As a result of the correlation analysis made to show the relation between “Stress Scale and FTSS”, there was a statistically significant, low-level, negative correlation between SSWL and FTSS; “educational”, “social”, “physiological”, and “esthetic” sub-factors were found to have a significant negative correlation with participants’ stress levels.

This study was conducted on the elite athletes, all of whom are students. Being a student may have an additional effect on the stress levels, and student-athletes may have less time compared to non-student athletes. Therefore, this study is limited, with student wrestlers as the limitation, and future studies should focus on non-student athletes.

This study is original, as it has it is the first to focus on the relation of stress and free-time satisfaction of elite level wrestlers. As wrestling is one of the most popular sports in Turkey, it is important to underline various socio-psychological factors affecting the athletes, which will guide their coaches accordingly.

5. Conclusions

There was no significant difference between elite-level athletes according to the gender variable. Similar sports performances of national athletes show similarities in their free-time satisfaction and stress levels.

Age variables are important among wrestlers, as well as in all branches, because as age increases, there will be a decline in performance after a certain period of time. In line with this result, the experience of elite-level wrestlers will increase as age increases. In addition, increases in the age variables will increase the success of elite-level athletes, because athletes will workout regularly, will develop their level with competitions, and will win a medal or prize eventually. Therefore, it can be said that there is a difference in the match performance of the athlete, as the age progression will facilitate the achievement. There will be changes in the stress level, as well as in the age of the athletes.

As the elite level wrestlers are in an intensive camp, training, and competition period, they do not have enough time to participate in leisure activities. Hence, it can be said that they do not have sufficient free-time satisfaction. In addition, the region may be an effective factor, or it may cause some problems regarding reaching full saturation in such activities. In particular, the fact that the years of sports and nationality are high plays a role in the intensification of training and competition. Stress levels of athletes and sport and National Team Year variables were found to be negatively related. For this reason, it can be said that elite level wrestlers reach the full peak of sports life. As a result, we can say that the rise of sport and nationality has created a desire for success in elite-level wrestlers and triggers the increase of stress.

There was no significant relationship and difference between free time and wrestling style variables. However, elite level wrestlers have been found to have less free time. This situation can increase their stress levels. The marital status and national level play an important role in elite-level athletes. However, the intensity of sports life cannot be ignored in both variables. There is no significant difference in these findings between the two variables.

It is foreseen that elite-level wrestlers will be different in their personal and social lives when they are single or married. However, as the participants are all elite-level athletes, they all have to attend a very intensive training and competition programs. As a result, the participants’ free time satisfaction levels are closer to each other according to the marital status variable as their social time is very limited. When educational status is examined, especially in the elite level wrestlers, sport year is an important factor. However, the educational situation is a determining factor in the everyday life of elite-level wrestlers and in academic platforms. We can say that free time satisfaction and stress levels are not effective in terms of education variables due to the similar levels of the elite-level athletes.

When scores of free time satisfaction and stress scale were examined, a low, negative correlation was found between the scales. According to this result, as the level of elite-level wrestlers’ satisfaction from free-time activities increases, the stress levels in the sporting events are reduced, because participants who are active in leisure-time activities are involved in physical activity, sports activities, and relaxation activities. Individuals who are involved in such activities will have fun and experience relaxation, happiness, satisfaction, and a high quality of life. We can say that as the level of free-time satisfaction of participants increases, stress levels decrease. In this case, we can say that athletes will avoid anxiety, depression, and stress events. As the findings of study accurately conveyed that free-time satisfaction is an important factor for preventing stress among the athletes, this study will inspire coaches, managers of national teams, and instructors to design their camp periods so they include sufficient free-time activities.

It is important to note that this research is limited to participants who are students and elite-level wrestlers. Therefore, being a student and an elite-level athlete at the same time may create extra stress for the athletes. Therefore, similar research should also be conducted on other wrestling groups who do not have regular education responsibilities to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject.

As a result, it was found that participants’ free time satisfaction levels were related to age; stress levels were related to variables such as age, sport year, national team year, and income level; and there was a significant negative correlation between the FTSS and SSWL.

To conclude, we can say that free-time activities play an important role in elite-level wrestlers, saturation levels are effective in their sport performance, and stress levels change according to various factors. Future studies should also focus on elite-level athletes in other branches, which would allow one to compare different branches.