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Background: The study investigated the profile of sport competition anxiety trait and psychological coping skills (PCS) among secondary school athletes in Enugu State, South East Nigeria. Material and methods: A total number of 420 secondary school athletes participated in a cross-sectional study. The profile of sport competition anxiety trait and psychological coping skills of the participants were measured using a 46-item questionnaire consisting of three socio-demographic factors as part I, a 15-item Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) as part II and a 28-item Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI) as part III. Mean, standard deviation and linear regressions were used for analyses. Results: The findings revealed that secondary school athletes had an average level of anxiety (mean±SD=20.79±3.776), and greater strength on psychological coping skills (mean±SD=49.92±19.20) while participating in sport competitions. Coachability, Goal setting and mental preparation, and Freedom from worry had significant association (p<.05) with athletes' Sport Competition Anxiety. Conclusions: This research proves that increase in psychological coping skills leads to increase in athletes' competition anxiety while participating in sport. However, sport psychologists, Physical Education teachers, games masters/mistresses and coaches in secondary schools need to acquire psychological skills through specialized seminar or expertise training so as to enable athletes to cope with sport anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sports training for high-performance athletes, Sports training for highperformance athletes, since athletes culminate in competitive activity, it is a primordial task for sports institutions. Objective: Propose actions to improve institutional management in the process of deentraining sports in high-performance athletes in the province of La Habana. Methods: Theoretical analysis of information related to the thematic of sports development was carried out, particularly in Cuba. A diagnosis of the systems established in the country was carried out. 47 surveys were carried out in which managers, athletes, and coaches participated, in addition to interviewing 3 managers and specialists in the field. Results: The diagnosis carried out showed that there is knowledge on the part of specialists about the process of de-entraining sports, however, it does not strictly apply to the process of training high-performance athletes. This limitation favors the appearance of high-risk illnesses in the exact ones and the appearance of risk factors because they are not subject to disengagement activities. Experts consider the implementation of a plan with this objective to be important. Conclusions: The implementation of the proposed actions will allow greater efficiency and raise the quality of life of the exact athletes. It is necessary to comply with the established norms to guarantee the full enjoyment of the athlete's reinsertion in everyday social life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the relationship between optimal functioning zone, anxiety, stress, and athletic performance. We conducted a systematic review of the available scientific articles and publications. Related literature was analyzed, relevant, or helpful in understanding the psychological aspects of athletic performance. It discusses the method and validity of hypotheses and approaches that have already appeared scientifically. We examined multidimensional approaches, which discuss the suitability and implications of some recent and more complex models of stress and performance. We may conclude that the relationship between stress and athletic performance is multidimensional. We also examined several factors, such as the interaction between the nature of the stressor, the cognitive needs of the task, and the individuals' psychological characteristics. Both physical and mental preparation is critical to successful sports performance. This way, the level of physical skills, mental preparedness significantly determine overall athletic performance. The article aims to provide a historical overview of the implementation, testing, and measurement of IZOF and other applied models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to identify the effects of a suggested counseling program for relaxation skill to cope with gymnasts' psychological stress, through its application on a sample of 28 gymnasts suffering from psychological stress and recording a high stress level in Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) (of Martens et al), which has been arbitrated by professionals. The method used in this study is experimental in which a control sample of 14 players, and an experimental one of 14 other players have been chosen to apply the counseling program for relaxation skill only on the experimental sample. After statistical process, statistically significant differences between the control and experimental sample groups have been noticed in favor of the experimental group, by considering the homogeneity of the sample members in the experimental and control groups in terms of variables of age, sex, athletic level, sports field, and the level of psychological stress before applying the suggested counseling program. After collecting, statistically processing, exposing, analyzing, and discussing data in the basis of a theoretical background and available previous or similar studies, the present study has found out that the suggested counseling program for relaxation skill leads to coping with gymnasts' psychological stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La ira es una variable que ha mostrado una fuerte influencia en el rendimiento deportivo y en variables relacionadas. Por ello, su relación con el nivel de competición, éxitos deportivos y con los deportistas profesionales se muestra como un campo de interés en la investigación científica. 1) comprobar la relación entre la ira y el nivel de competición deportivo; 2) conocer la relación entre la ira y los éxitos deportivos; y 3) comprobar la relación entre la ira y los deportistas profesionales. La muestra se compuso de 502 deportistas. Se administró un cuestionario sociodemográfico ad hoc , el Inventario de Expresión de la Ira Estado-Rasgo (STAXI-2) y la Escala Oviedo de Infrecuencia de Respuesta (INF-OV). Los resultados se acercaron a la significación en los deportistas que compiten a nivel internacional, que presentaron menores niveles de ira rasgo y temperamento que los deportistas que compiten a otros niveles inferiores al internacional. Por otro lado, los análisis de regresión mostraron que a más ira rasgo existe una ligera tendencia a competir a otros niveles inferiores al internacional (p <.05). Se concluyó que la ira puede influir en el nivel de competición, ya que a mayores niveles de ira existe relación con competir a niveles inferiores al internacional. Anger is a variable that can have an important influence on sport performance and many other related variables. Therefore, its relationship with competition level, sport and professional athletes, is has become an interesting field in scientific research. 1) To verify the relationship between anger and the level of sport competition; 2) to investigate the link between anger and sport success; and 3) to identify the relationship between anger and professional athletes. The sample was composed of 502 athletes. A socio-demographic questionnaire ad hoc , the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-2) and The Oviedo Scale of Infrequency of Response (INF-OV) were administered. Close to significant differences were found amongst those athletes who compete at an international level, because they had lower levels of trait anger and temperament than their counterparts. On the other hand, regression analyses showed a slight tendency to compete at lower levels in those cases where trait anger was high (p <.05). It was concluded that anger may have an influence on the level of competition, because higher anger levels were more present at a lower rather than a higher level of competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sport Competitive Anxiety Test (SCAT) has been applied most widely to estimate anxiety in sport. Although the SCAT has been modified to make the instrument more appropriate for the assessment of the multidimensional competitive trait anxiety construct, the extended version (SCATe) has not been validated to date. The aim of this study was to investigate factorial validity of the SCATe, as well as the consistency of the three subscale measures within the global score. SCATe was evaluated with 1024 young competitors aged 12 to 21 years, involved in 21 sports. The Cronbach's coefficients, exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis and the Spearman Correlation were applied. The three-factor model accounts for 34.23% of the total variance of competitive anxiety. All three dimensions revealed significant inherent eigenvalues (6.79, 1.98, and 1.49). The somatic component was 23%, while selfconfidence and cognitive components were 7% and 5%, respectively. The results indicated acceptable internal consistency and factorial validity for successful evaluation of a global score for competitive trait anxiety and the three individual subscale scores: somatic, cognitive and self-confidence. The data suggest that SCATe could be applied as alternative test to SCAT, however, further improvement of the SCATe metric characteristics is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Improving sports performance and reducing anxiety is one of the most important goals of athletes. Recurrence of symptoms and treatment cessation are common problems with common interventions. Approaches based on mindfulness-acceptance-commitment (MAC) can be a response to these limitations Objective: The main purpose of the present study was to determine effectiveness of the mindfulness-acceptance commitment- based approach to athletic performance enhancement and sports competition anxiety in students who have had athletic experience for 3 to 5 years. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted at the Faculty of Educational Sciences of Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran, from May 1, 2017 to September 15, 2017. A total of 31 students were randomly assigned to experimental (n=15) and control groups (n=16). The experimental group received the protocol Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) for 8 sessions. Subjects completed the Charbonneau Sports Performance Questionnaire, Action and Acceptance Questionnaire (AAQ) and Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) Questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted by using multivariate covariance analysis (MANCOVA) by SPSS-22. Results: The results of the study indicated that the MAC approach increases significantly the performance of basketball playing athletes (p<0.05). Furthermore, the MAC approach decreases significantly experiential avoidance and sports anxiety in athletes (p<0.05). The size of the difference between the groups is moderate (Eta squared). Conclusions: This study revealed that the mindfulness-acceptance-commitment-based approach is an effective intervention to increasing athletic performance and reducing experiential avoidance and sports anxiety in athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the relationship between competition anxiety and fear of failure among sportsmen and sportswomen. Methodology: It was a descriptive observational study, conducted from February 2012 to January 2013, consisting of athletes from public and private sector colleges and universities of District Peshawar, Mardan and Nowshera. Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) and Performance Fear Appraisal Inventory (PFAI) were used. T-test was used to assess the gender differences of competition anxiety and fear of failure. P value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The sample consisted of 200 athletes, 100 males and 100 females. The mean age of the sample was 22.43 ±4.82 years. The mean SCAT score in the study was 28.57 ±05.38. It was significantly higher in male athletes as compared to female (p value =.004). The mean PFAI score was 70.01 ±20.58. Male athletes showed significantly higher values as compared to their female counterparts with p value <.01. There was a strong positive correlation between competition anxiety and fear of failure with correlation values ranging from .839 to .985 and P value <.001. Conclusion: There was strong positive correlation between competition anxiety and fear of failure. Male athletes have higher competition anxiety and fear of failure as compared to their female counterparts [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To present the process of cross-cultural adaptation of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) for the Brazilian context. Method: The following stages were used: translation into Brazilian Portuguese by independent translators, elaboration of a synthesis version, back-translation, evaluation by experts and pretest with target population. Results: All the stages of cross-cultural adaptation were completed, and in the majority of items evaluated, good concordance between experts was obtained (≥ 80%). Suggested adjustments were compiled into the consensus version by the two authors, with the resulting material being considered adequate in the pretest (and thus no further changes were needed). Termed as "Escala de Ansiedade Esportiva-2," the final version was considered by the main author of the original scale as an official version in Brazilian Portuguese. Conclusions: In view of the fulfilment of all steps suggested for the cross-cultural adaptation process, the SAS-2 is now available in Brazilian Portuguese to be tested for its psychometric qualities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study evaluates the metric and scalar invariance of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2), which is considered one of the best sport performance anxiety assessment tools for child and adolescent athletes, across four sampling variables: language, gender, age and type of sport. Method: The participants were 842 athletes (Mage = 11.73, SD = 2.20) from Spain, Belgium and Portugal, each of whom completed the languageadapted version of the SAS-2. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the invariance of the measurement model, and the relative importance of the sampling variables was assessed using a multiple indicator multiple causes model (MIMIC). Results: The results revealed metric and scalar invariance across all sampling variables and null to modest effects of gender, age and type of sport as covariates for the factors of the SAS-2. However, there was a marked effect (ß = -.56) of language on worry, which reflected lower scores on this factor for the Flemish sample. Conclusions: The results of this study provide evidence of the invariance of the SAS-2 across samples, thereby endorsing the reliability of its factorial structure for future multi-group research. Antecedentes: este estudio evalúa la invariancia métrica y escalar de la Escala de Ansiedad Competitiva-2 (SAS-2), considerada una de las mejores herramientas de evaluación de la ansiedad competitiva en niños y adolescentes, a través de cuatro variables muestrales: lenguaje, género, edad y tipo de deporte. Método: los participantes fueron 842 deportistas (Medad = 11.73; DE = 2.20) de España, Bélgica y Portugal, que completaron la versión adaptada del SAS-2. Se utilizó un análisis factorial confirmatorio para analizar la invariancia del modelo de medida y se llevó a cabo un modelo de múltiples indicadores y múltiples causas (MIMIC) para evaluar la importancia relativa de las variables muestrales. Resultados: los resultados revelaron invariancia métrica y escalar a través de todas las variables muestrales y efectos nulos o moderados de género, edad y tipo de deporte como covariables de los factores del SAS-2. Sin embargo, se detectó un efecto notable (ß = -.56) del lenguaje sobre la preocupación, reflejando niveles menores de este factor en la versión flamenca. Conclusiones: los resultados de este estudio proporcionan pruebas de la invariancia del SAS-2 entre muestras, certificando la fiabilidad de su estructura factorial para futuras investigaciones multigrupo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the Paralympics are the world's second largest sporting event after the Olympics and continue to grow in popularity, there is little available research regarding spectators of sport competitions for disabled athletes. The purpose of this study was to profile spectators' consumer behaviors in order to understand what factors explain spectators' spending, length of stay, and attendance at the London Paralympic Games. Data was collected in a six-day period from a sample of 504 people present in London at three Paralympic sport facilities during the 2012 Paralympic Games. The results of the regression analyses revealed that nationality, attended contests, group size, having a connection with a Paralympic athlete, length of stay, gender and London Olympics' spectators were significant determinants of Paralympics spectators' spending in London. The data also indicated that spending, being from England (or not), gender, and being a friend/relative of a Paralympic athlete significantly affected spectators' length of stay in London. Additionally, spectators' attendance at the London Paralympic contests was predicted by spending, the size of the travel group, Beijing Paralympics' spectators and age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work attempts to study the state pre-competitive triathletes in a competition, studying cognitive anxiety, somatic and auto-confidence.Methodology: We used a quasi-experimental methodology of field and was performed in the precompetition; the instrument used was validated in Spanish version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventoy (CSAI-2).156 athletes participated. Results: The majority of subjects had levels of low cognitive anxiety (42.9%), low in 28.9% and 19.2% lower middle, 7.7% had medium-high percentage and 1.3% had high levels.40.4% presented very low levels in Somatic Anxiety, low in 34.0%, medium low 21.8% and medium high in 2.5%.No competitor introduced Somatic Anxiety levels high. With respect to the Auto-Confidence, we found medium high levels (33.4%) , high (23.7%), medium low (22.4%), very high (12.8%) and only (5.1%) had a low autoconfidence, being very low auto-confidence in the (2.6%) of subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An attempt has been made to study the impact of level of participation on psychological factors such as aggression, anxiety, achievement motivation and performance. Six hundred and twenty-five soccer players representing three different levels that is, inter-university, inter-district, inter-collegiate, constituted the sample of the study. Sports Competition Anxiety Test (Marten 1977), Aggressiveness Questionnaire (Smith 1973), Sports Achievement Motivation Test (Kamalesh 1983) were administered to assess anxiety, aggression and achievement motivation, respectively. The performance of soccer players was assessed by using rating scale (rating scale for evaluation of playing ability by experts for soccer players (Pown Radha 1996). One-way analysis of variance and stepwise multiple regression analysis were employed to analyse the data. Significant differences were found among three levels of participation with regard to aggression achievement motivation and performance only. Aggression and achievement motivation contributed significantly to performance whereas anxiety is found to have negative impact on the performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sport competition can be a major source of stress among youth sport athletes. Knowledge of competitive state anxiety may be beneficial for both sport performance and development of young athletes. The Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2), and more recently the Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2R) are often used instruments to measure competitive state anxiety. Indeed, there is evidence suggesting excellent psychometric properties of these instruments in their original as well culturally adapted forms. Given the potential benefits of this instrument in understanding youth athletes’ affective states, CSAI-2R was translated into Malaysian language and has been a precursor to several studies. However, given no prior assessment of the psychometric properties of the translated version, the present study sought to examine the factorial validity and reliability of the Malaysian version of the CSAI-2R. The questionnaire was administered to 236 young Taekwondo athletes. Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), three models were tested, a 1-factor model, a 2-factor model and a 3-factor model. The 3-factor model consisting of self-confidence, somatic anxiety and cognitive anxiety factors was expected to yield the best model fit. As expected, CFA results revealed close model fit of the 3-factor model when compared to two others tested models (χ = 170.197, df = 116, p <0.05; RMR = 0.06; GFI = 0.0.92; RMSEA = 0.05, ECVI = 1.04, AIC = 244.19). Furthermore, significant unstandardised regression weights (<0.05) for all of the path loadings were obtained indicating good convergent validity of the subscales. The results also revealed an acceptable reliability for the subscales (α = 0.65 for somatic anxiety, 0.77 for cognitive anxiety and 0.76 for self-confidence subscales). Overall, the findings support the factorial validity and reliability of the Malaysian version of CSAI-2R. However, future studies with larger sample are needed to confirm if the findings are sample specific or more general. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]