Adaptive Social Factors and Precompetitive Anxiety in Elite Sport

Abstract

Grounded in achievement goal theory and self-determination theory, the aim of this study was to analyze the motivational determinants of precompetitive anxiety in the sports context, considering the horizontal motivational sequence: adaptive social factors (task-involving climate, autonomy support style), competence need, types of motivation (autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, amotivation), and consequences (precompetitive anxiety and self-confidence). This study was also conducted in order to analyze the mediating role of the need for competition and motivational regulations on social factors and consequences. The sample consisted of 217 athletes of both sexes engaged in elite sport, who answered a series of questionnaires to measure study variables to develop an analysis of the structural equation model. The results showed that both the task-involving climate and autonomy support were associated with competence need, and competence need was associated with autonomous motivation in a positive way and with controlled motivation and amotivation in a negative way. On the other hand, autonomous motivation was positively associated with self-confidence, while amotivation was positively related to somatic and cognitive anxiety before a competition. Furthermore, there was a total mediation of competence need and autonomous motivation between task climate and self-confidence. In conclusion, these social factors favor self-confidence, and besides, these climates disfavor anxiety before a sport competition.

Relationship between Sports and Personal Variables and the Competitive Anxiety of Colombian Elite Athletes of Olympic and Paralympic Sports

“…Anxiety is undoubtedly one of the most cited psychological constructs from all the paradigms encompassed in psychology [1], in which somatic and cognitive aspects must be distinguished, including trait and state aspects independent of each other, which influence behaviour in different forms [2]. The multidimensional theory of competitive anxiety [3] proposes three components: somatic anxiety, related with the physiological activation of the organism; cognitive anxiety, associated with the cognitive representations of threat, uncertainty, and worry; and self-confidence [4].…”

Ansiedad precompetitiva en futbolistas: Intervención del Programa AG

“…Por ende, este artículo analiza los efectos del programa AG con el fin de permitir mejoras a futuras investigaciones. Dado que, el apoyo a la autonomía de cada deportista, influye de manera determinada a las regulaciones predictoras de éxito en la competencia, así como su óptimo desempeño, generando así una regulación integrada de conductas volitivas que complementan otros aspectos de la vida, fuera de la competencia (Pineda, Morquecho & Alarcón, 2020).…”

Study of the relationship between motivation towards physical activity and its relationship with anxiety and self-concept in the educational setting. A systematic review

“…Another of the most studied factors in the field of sport psychology is anxiety. This state is defined as a negative psycho-emotional state characterised by the manifestation of harmful states such as worry and nervousness, directly affecting the cognitive and somatic aspects (Pineda-Espejel et al, 2021). In this case Howell et al (2021) claim that motivational climate can help to decrease disruptive states such as anxiety and stress.…”