Abstract

Background and Aim: The emotional processing has an impact on performance and exercise. The aim of this study was to compare the emotional processing of military athletes at professional, semi-professional and amateur levels. Methods: A total of 90 male athletes belonging to Mazandaran province clubs in the North of Iran, in 2017 were randomly selected and categorized into three groups (n=30) of professional, semi-professional and amateur levels. An emotional processing questionnaire was used to gather data. Data analysis was performed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test using SPSS-18 software. Results: The three groups were matched in terms of demographics. The age range of subjects was from 20 to 50 years and their sports fields were Soccer, volleyball and bodybuilding. There was no significant difference between the three groups of athletes in terms of emotional processing. However, there was a significant difference between professional, semi-professional and amateur athletes in terms of emotional processing components (e.g. lack of excitement, lack of emotional experience). Conclusion: In general, professional athletes have more emotional experience than two semi-professional and amateur groups. © 2018 University of Toronto Press Inc. All Rights Reserved.