Personality resources as a Mediator of the Relationship between Antecedents of Stress and Pre-competitive Anxiety

Abstract

Purpose: The main purpose of this paper was to study the mediator effect of personal resources in synergies between the antecedents of stress (the perceived readiness for the competition and the perceived complexity of the goal) and pre-competition anxiety in swimmers. Methods:We conducted a confirmatory and mediator analysis in the context of structural equation modeling to study the data of a cross-sectional survey of male swimmers (n = 98; M = 18.28 years; SD = 1.33). Results: Testing of the model of personality resources showed that the four indicators – self-efficacy, self-control, optimism and grit – constitute a single factor. As a result of the mediatory analysis, the partial indirect effect of personality resources on the state of pre-competition anxiety of swimmers was obtained. Conclusions: It is established, that personality resources (self-efficacy, self-control, optimism and grit) have a systemic organization and form an integral factor at the level of empirical indicators. They partially mediate the influence of competitive stress factors on the level of situational anxiety, contributing thereby to its reduction in athletes.