Relationship between athletes' emotional intelligence and precompetitive anxiety

Area of Science:

• Sport Psychology
• Psychological Assessment

Background:

• Precompetitive anxiety significantly impacts athletic performance.
• Emotional Intelligence (EI) is increasingly recognized as a crucial factor in athlete well-being and success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and precompetitive anxiety in Taiwanese intercollegiate track and field athletes.
• To identify specific components of EI that may influence precompetitive anxiety levels.

Main Methods:

• Participants: 111 Taiwanese intercollegiate track and field athletes (64 male, 47 female).
• Instruments: Bar-On EQ-i (assessing EI) administered one month prior to competition; Competition State Anxiety Inventory-2R (assessing precompetitive anxiety) administered one hour prior to competition.
• Analysis: Correlational and multiple stepwise regression analyses were employed.

Main Results:

• Athletes with lower overall EI scores reported significantly higher intensity of precompetitive cognitive anxiety compared to those with higher EI scores.
• Specific EI components, including stress management, intrapersonal EI, and interpersonal EI, demonstrated significant associations with precompetitive anxiety.
• No other statistically significant differences in precompetitive anxiety were found based on EI groups.

Conclusions:

• Emotional intelligence appears to play a role in modulating precompetitive anxiety among athletes.
• Current general EI measures may offer limited insight into the nuances of precompetitive anxiety in sports.
• Development of a sport-specific EI measure is recommended for more accurate assessment and understanding in athletic populations.