The perceived impact of competitive state anxiety over performance; a study determining the differences between individual and team sports athletes.

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Author
Outram, Connor
Date
2015Type
Thesis
Publisher
Cardiff Metropolitan University
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between interpretations
of competitive state anxiety within sub-elite, individual and team sport athletes, and
how these potentially affected performance. Qualitative methods were adopted
incorporating a series of semi-structured interviews (n=10), conducted with male,
individual (n=5) and team (n=5) sport athletes. The athletes’ responses were
recorded, with transcriptions inductively and deductively analysed. Eight causal
networks were developed to display the results. The main findings revealed no major
distinguishable differences between individual and team athletes, in terms of overall
control, intensity and somatic anxiety. One finding, however, suggested that being a
team athlete resulted in more cognitive anxiety. Lowered self-confidence was
associated with debilitative interpretations of anxiety symptoms by both sets of
athletes; interestingly, only the individual sport athletes associated increased selfconfidence
with facilitative perceptions. The utilisation of a coping strategy was seen
to lead performers to a facilitative interpretation, with further findings providing
evidence to support the Processing Efficiency Theory (Eysenck and Calvo, 1992).
The implications of this study suggest a reduction approach to cognitive anxiety
symptoms should be adopted when working with team sport athletes; however,
individual athletes would benefit from a cognitive restructuring approach to
symptoms. Further, it can be suggested that all sub-elite athletes would benefit from
the acquisition of psychological strategies to promote facilitative interpretations, and
an increase of self-confidence and self-efficacy to act as a buffer against debilitating
perceptions of anxiety. The results suggest that investigating team versus individual
sport athletes, holds promise for a further research avenue in examining the
relationship of competitive state anxiety and performance.
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