Cross-sectional associations between competitive anxiety and individual characteristics among handball athletes

Abstract

The psychological aspects of competitive sports, such as handball, has been the subject of many studies in recent years. However, there is still no consensus regarding the effects of competitive anxiety in this sport and the possible sociodemographic and individual aspects that influence this effect. This study aimed to investigate the association between time of practice, age, and sex variables on the perceptions of competitive anxiety among handball athletes. Participated 81 handball athletes (61% women) with a mean age of 25 ± 6 years and a mean practice time of 6 ± 4 years. The instrument used was the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Revised (CSAI-2R). We performed multiple linear regression analysis to investigate the association between the main variables. The t test and Spearman’s correlation test (r) also was used. The main results showed that the time of practice was associated with the direction (F (1, 78) = 4.807, p <0.05; adjusted R2 = 0.046) and frequency of the somatic anxiety (F (1, 78) = 4.220, p <0.05; adjusted R2 = 0.039), as well as in relation to the frequency of selfconfidence (F (1, 78) = 6.387, p <0.05; adjusted R2 = 0.064). The age of the athletes was associated only with the direction of self-confidence (F (1, 78) = 5.093, p <0.05; adjusted R2 = 0.049). There was no difference in the perception of competitive anxiety as a function of the sex (p >0.05). In conclusion, the time of practice as an athlete can influence the direction and frequency of somatic anxiety, as well as the frequency of self-confidence. In addition, age may influence the perception of self-confidence for more experienced athletes. The sex variable is not a determinant for the perception of competitive anxiety among handball athletes.