Intensity and frequency dimensions of competitive state anxiety

This study reports a preliminary investigation of intensity and frequency of symptoms of competitive state anxiety. Forty-nine track and field athletes (27 males, 22 females) responded to a modified version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) on four occasions during the period leading up to an important competition: 2 days, 1 day, 2 h and within 30 min of competing. The questionnaire included the existing CSAI-2 (intensity) scale as well as a frequency scale for each of the 27 items of the CSAI-2. The intensity and frequency dimensions of each of the CSAI-2-sub-scales were then compared between the four conditions by means of two-way analyses of variance (gender x time-to-competition). In the case of cognitive anxiety, time-to-event effects were observed for intensity and frequency for both males and females. The intensity of the response was significantly greater at the final stage of testing than it was 2 days before competition, while the frequency of the response increased progressively throughout the experimental period. This dissociative patterning for the cognitive anxiety dimensions is discussed in the light of Multidimensional Anxiety Theory predictions. For somatic anxiety, the time-to-event effects that emerged for intensity and frequency revealed that both values increased progressively as the time to compete neared, for both male and females. The results for self-confidence revealed no effects for intensity or frequency for either gender. The findings from structured follow-up interviews served to corroborate these quantitative findings by providing information that supported the conclusions drawn from the questionnaire data. In particular, the athletes reported that they experienced considerable increases in the frequency of intrusive anxiety cognitions. While these findings clearly need to be substantiated, they do provide evidence of the existence of an additional dimension of anxiety that may assist our understanding of this complex concept. The measurement of competitive state anxiety may benefit from this more detailed approach as opposed to the rather limited intensity-alone perspective.