Competitive anxiety among university student-athlete of Uitm Sarawak

Redha Afifi Hasni

Abstract

This study investigates the competitive anxiety between genders and types of sports among university student-athletes of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sarawak. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 155 student athletes (85 males and 70 females) using Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) to evaluate sports anxiety. A stratified random sampling technique was utilised in participants selection. The analysis result by independent sample t-test shows that there was a significant difference between male and female university student-athletes. ANOVA test was conducted to the university student-athletes to compare competitive anxiety between age groups and it was reported that there was no significant difference for somatic anxiety and worry but the result shows a significant for concentration disruption. Most of the participants scored highly in a moderate level of competitive anxiety because an anxious person is more vulnerable to poor productivity as they focus more often on potential environmental threats due to the negative effects of the shift and inhibition of the attention system. This indicates anxiety is appraised differently by athletes based on their gender and age groups.

References

Abrahamsen, F. E., Roberts, G. C., & Pensgaard, A. M. (2008). Achievement Goals and Gender Effects on Multidimensional Anxiety in National Elite Sport: Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 9(4), 449-464. doi: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2007.06.005.

Al-Ansi, F. M. A., Muhamad, T. A., Salamuddin, N., & Hassan, F. D. (2016). Demographic Differences in Sport Anxiety among Universities Student Athletes in The Republic of Yemen: Journal of Sports and Physical Education, 3(5), 91-96.

Atarody, E. (2011). The Relationship between Anxiety and Performance Anxiety Coaches Football Players: University of Gonabad.

Azimkhani, A., Gursoy, R., & Torbati H. R. T. (2015). Analyzing the Relationship between Mental Skills and Competition Anxiety among Young and Adult Skiers: International Journal of Sport Studies, 5, 860-867.

Cheng, W. K. N., Hardy, L., & Markland, D. (2009). Toward A Three Dimensional Conceptualization of Performance Anxiety: Rationale and Initial Measurement Development. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 10(2), 271-278. doi: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2008.08.001.

Correia, M., & Rosado, A. F. B. (2019). Anxiety in Athletes: Gender and Type of Sport Differences: International Journal of Psychological Research, 12(1), 9-17. doi: 10.21500/20112084.3552.

Grossbard, J. R., Smith, R. E., Smoll, F. L., & Cumming, S. P. (2009). Competitive Anxiety in Young Athletes: Differentiating Somatic Anxiety, Worry, And Concentration disruption: Anxiety Stress Coping, 22(2), 153-66.

Kumar, M. S., & Woo J. (2015). Public debt and growth. Economica, 82(328), 705-739. doi:org/10.1111/ecca.12138.

Leray, E., Camara, A., Drapier, D., Rlou, F., Bougeant, N., Pelissolo, A., & Millet, B. (2011). Prevalence, characteristics and comorbidities of anxiety disorders in France: Mental Health in General Population survey (MHGP). European Psychiatry, 26(6), 339-345.

Martens, R. (1977). Sport competition anxiety test. Champaign: IL: Human Kinetics

Martens, R., Vealey, R. S., & Burton, D. (1990). Competitive Anxiety in Sport. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics.

Morrow, J. R., Mood, D. P., Disch, J. G., & Kang, M. (2016). Psychological Measurements in Sports and Exercise: Measurement and Evaluation in Human Performance with Web Study Guide (5th Edition), 330-331.

Nideffer, R. M., & Sagal, M. S. (2006). Concentration and Attention Control Training: Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance, 5, 382–403.

Perry, J. (2020). Dealing with Stress as A College Athlete: Athlete Network.

Robinson, E., & Smith, E. (2015). Biblical Researches in Palestine and the adjacent regions 2.

Sarason, I. G. (1984). Stress, Anxiety, and Cognitive Interference: Reactions To Tests: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46(4), 929–938. doi: org/10.1037/0022-3514.46.4.929.

Smith, R. E., & Smoll, F. (1990). Sport Performance Anxiety. Handbook of social and evaluation anxiety, 417–454.

Smith, R. E., Smoll, F. L., Cumming, S. P., & Grossbard, J. R. (2006). Measurement of Multidimensional Sport Performance Anxiety in Children and Adults: The Sport Anxiety Scale-2: Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 28(4), 479-501. doi: 10.1123/jsep.28.4.479.

Smith, R.E., Smoll, F.L., & Schutz, R.W. (1990). Measurement and correlates of Sport- specific Cognitive and Somatic Trait Anxiety: The Sport Anxiety Scale. Anxiety Research, 2, 263-280. doi:10.1080/08917779008248733.

Sutcliffe, J. H., & Greenberger, P. A. (2020). Identifying Psychological Difficulties in College Athletes: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, 8(7), 2216-2219.

Thatcher, J., Thatcher, R., & Dorling, D. (2004). Gender Differences in the Pre-Competition Temporal Patterning of Anxiety and Hormonal Responses: Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 44(3), 300-308.

Yago, R., Carme, V., Catarina, S., & Caroline, J. (2015). Exploring the Factorial Structure of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2: Invariance across Language, Gender, Age and Type of Sport: Psicothema, 27(2), 174-81. doi: 10.7334/psicothema2014.263.