Types of precompetition anxiety among junior athletes

Abstract

The aim of the research is to categorize the types of precompetition anxiety experienced by junior athletes immediately before official sports events. Methods: Valid and reliable psychodiagnostic tools, well-established in sports research, were utilized to accurately measure anxiety phenomena in junior athletes. Results: Descriptive frequency characteristics were analyzed to construct a comprehensive profile of pre-competition anxiety among the participants. K-means clustering identified four distinct types: "Destructive Anxiety Disorder" (DAD) (n = 42; 13.13%); "Personal Precompetition Anxiety" (PPA) (n = 120; 37.50%); "Situational Precompetition Anxiety" (SPA) (n = 102; 31.87%); and "Social Unprotected Anxiety" (SUA) (n = 56; 17.50%). Notably, DAD is the most concerning type, potentially impacting both performance and the athlete's overall health. Additionally, SUA was identified as posing significant risks. It was explained that this type can become a plateau of stagnation and be transformed into a psychological problem later. It was highlighted that anxiety performs an important function in an athlete’s sporting activities and it is important how efficiently a junior athlete can utilize their resources. We performed comparison of the types of pre-competition anxiety of junior athletes representing team sports (Group 1) and individual sports (Group 2) by Fisher’s criterion (φ). Two statistically significant advantages were established: Group 1 (n = 79; 49.37%) has an advantage by “SPA” (φ = 1.89; р ≤ .05); Group 2 (n = 42; 26.25%) has an advantage by “SUA” (φ = 2.12; р ≤ .05). Discussion and conclusions. It was substantiated that the types of junior athletes’ pre-competition anxiety are considered to be psycho-physiological states related to awaiting a sports competition, which are accompanied by psycho-emotional stress, require the development of athletes’ self-regulation, stress-resistance and resilience, and depend on their individualpsychological characteristics, experience and mastery. We recommend that coaching staffs should diagnose the types of pre-competition anxiety that will allow making timely corrections to an athlete’s performance that can have a considerable impact on the result of a sports competition and also protect athletes against traumas.