Yuhang Zhou
Zhenyu Jin
*The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1392137
This article is part of the Research Topic Psychological Factors in Physical Education and Sport - Volume IV View all 13 articles
The influence of competitive anxiety of Chinese Elite swimmers
Provisionally accepted- Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
Background: Competitive anxiety is a common stress response in competitive environments, influencing sports performance, particularly among elite swimmers. Purpose: This study aims to examine how the characteristics of competitive anxiety impact sports performance across different phases of competitive preparation, alongside its correlation with trait anxiety. Methods: A longitudinal research design, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches, was employed with 20 swimmers from the Chinese national swimming team participating in both the 2023 Fukuoka World Championships and the Hangzhou Asian Games. The mental readiness form-3 (MRF-3) scale was employed at four time points during the preparation period for longitudinal tracking, complemented by the trait anxiety inventory (T-AI) scale to assess trait anxiety. Results: The study identified a negative correlation between cognitive anxiety and somatic anxiety among elite swimmers, with confidence demonstrating a positive correlation. Additionally, there was a significant between trait anxiety and competitive anxiety (p< 0.05). Variations in competitive anxiety were found at different stages of the preparation cycle (F=15.074; 11.627; 19.552, p < 0.05), impacting sport performance. Conclusion: To optimize performance, tailored psychological intervention programs should be developed and implemented to address the distinct characteristics of competitive anxiety experienced by elite swimmers throughout the preparation phases.
Keywords: Competitive anxiety1, trait anxiety2, elite athletes3, swimming4, sport5
Received: 27 Feb 2024; Accepted: 29 Jul 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Zhou, Jin and Wen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Zhenyu Jin, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
Yuhong Wen, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
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