Sex-based differences in cognitive anxiety and felt arousal of elite archers: a field study

This study compares the levels of felt arousal and cognitive anxiety between male and female archers across different competition stages. Fifty-seven professional recurve archers (28 men, 29 women) who participated in the Asian Archery Championships were recruited as participants. Their levels of felt arousal and cognitive anxiety were recorded during the stages of qualifying, individual elimination, and team competition using the Sport Grid-Revised. The results showed no sex-based differences in competitive anxiety when competition stages were considered. However, the female archers demonstrated higher levels of felt arousal and cognitive anxiety than the male archers across the different stages. Further, all archers regardless of sex showed higher cognitive anxiety in the individual elimination and team competition stages than the qualifying stage. The findings show sex-based differences in felt arousal and cognitive anxiety before competitions. In addition, increasing cognitive anxiety is likely associated with fundamental differences in levels of competition pressure at various stages of a match. It seems beneficial for athletes to focus on reducing gender stereotypes through preventive interventions and developing effective coping strategies toward competitive anxiety.