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Precompetition anxiety in Chinese athletes.
1School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia. BHS@LATROBE.EDU.AU
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|April 24, 1999
Summary
Chinese athletes reported lower precompetition anxiety but similar self-confidence compared to North American peers. Individual sport athletes experienced higher somatic anxiety and lower self-confidence than team sport athletes.
Area of Science:
- Sport Psychology
- Exercise Science
- Athletic Performance
Background:
- Precompetition anxiety and self-confidence are crucial psychological factors influencing athletic performance.
- Understanding these factors across different cultures and sport types is essential for athlete support.
- Previous research has explored these constructs, but cross-cultural and sport-specific comparisons in Chinese athletes remain an area for detailed investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate precompetition anxiety and self-confidence in Shanghai college athletes.
- To examine differences based on sex and sport type (individual vs. team).
- To compare findings with North American athlete samples.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) on 235 Chinese college athletes (132 male, 103 female) before major competitions.
- Employed independent t tests to analyze differences in cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and self-confidence scores.
- Compared results with existing data from North American collegiate athletes.
Main Results:
- No significant sex differences were found in cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, or self-confidence.
- Athletes in individual sports (track and field) reported significantly higher somatic anxiety and lower self-confidence than team sport athletes (basketball).
- Chinese athletes exhibited lower cognitive and somatic anxiety, but comparable self-confidence, relative to North American athletes.
Conclusions:
- Sport type, not sex, significantly impacts precompetition somatic anxiety and self-confidence in Chinese college athletes.
- Chinese athletes appear to possess psychological resilience, showing lower anxiety levels compared to their North American counterparts.
- Further research should explore the cultural and training factors contributing to these observed differences in athletic psychology.
