Predictors of competitive trait anxiety in male youth sport participants

Abstract

This field study examined intrapersonal and significant adult factors related to the levels of dispositional or competitive trait anxiety experienced by 9- to 14-yr-old male participants of a competitive wrestling program. Competitive trait anxiety (CTA) is a personality disposition which reflects the tendency to experience stress in situations involving competitive sport (20). Multiple regression analyses of questionnaire data revealed that boys with more frequent somatic competitive trait anxiety symptoms 1) had lower self-esteem, 2) reported greater upset if they performed poorly, and 3) expressed a greater preference for avoiding a tournament match. Investigated cognitive anxiety symptoms involved characteristic precompetitive worries about failure and worries about adult expectations and evaluation. Youngsters with more frequent worries about failure placed greater importance on wrestling well and felt greater upset when they performed poorly, in comparison with boys who worried less frequently about failure. More frequent adult-related worries were predicted by greater personal upset for poor performance and perceptions of 1) greater parental and coach shame and upset, 2) more negative adult evaluations, and 3) greater parental pressure to wrestle.

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