Precompetition anxiety in Chinese athletes

Precompetition anxiety and self-confidence were investigated in a sample of 132 male and 103 female Shanghai college athletes. The participants were administered the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 of Martens, et al. 30 to 40 min. before competing in important track and field events or basketball games. Analysis by independent t tests showed that there were no sex differences in scores on the Cognitive Anxiety, Somatic Anxiety, or Self-confidence subscales; however, compared to those in team sports (basketball), athletes competing individually (track and field) scored significantly higher on the Somatic Anxiety subscale and significantly lower on the Self-confidence subscale. Comparisons with data from comparable North American samples indicated that Chinese athletes reported lower scores on Cognitive Anxiety and Somatic Anxiety but similar scores on Self-confidence.     

Competitive state anxiety and performance in young female rhythmic gymnasts

The study was designed to examine the competitive state anxiety and self-confidence of rhythmic gymnasts participating in the Greek national competition. 86 participants, ages 11 and 12 years, completed the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, 1 hr. before competition. The athletes, classified by performance (high and low performance) and participation in the finals (finalists and nonfinalists), responded to the three subscales: Cognitive Anxiety, Somatic Anxiety, and Self-confidence. Analyses indicated differences in Self-confidence between high versus low performance groups and finalists versus nonfinalists. No significant differences were found on Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety. In a regression analysis, Self-confidence was the only significant predictor of performance for this sample. Implications refer to the development of strategies to enhance self-confidence in order to improve the gymnast's performance during competition.     

Relations of low frustration tolerance beliefs with stress, depression, and anxiety in young adolescents

Young adolescents (N=144; 66 boys, 78 girls), ages 12 to 14 years (M=12.2, SD=.8), who reported lower scores on the Low Frustration Tolerance Beliefs Instrument had higher scores on the Perceived Stress Scale and the Profile of Mood States Subscales of Depression and Anxiety.     

The development of a physical education state anxiety scale: a preliminary study

The aim of the present study was to develop a measure of state anxiety for school physical education. The Physical Education State Anxiety Scale was designed to assess the basic anxiety dimensions plus the related cognitive processes. High school students (n = 631) completed the scale just prior to a test on two track and field tasks, in order to create a stressful condition. Data from the sample were randoml y split in two and subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, which supported the proposed three-factor structure of Worry, Cognitive Processes, and Somatic Anxiety. Internal consistency coefficients were acceptable. Moderate correlations among the subscale scores supported its construct validity. Results provide preliminary evidence for validity and reliability.     

Psychometric properties of the reassurance-seeking scale in a Turkish sample

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Reassurance-Seeking Scale in a sample of 102 Turkish undergraduate students. High internal consistency reliability was found for the Reassurance-Seeking Scale (alpha=.86). Factor analysis of the scale identified a single component that accounted for 71% of the total variance. The scale was significantly positively correlated with the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory and had a significantly negative correlation with the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. Partial correlations of Reassurance-seeking with Depression scores as controlled by Anxiety scores and with Anxiety scores as controlled by Depression scores indicated that Reassurance-seeking scores maintained association with Depression but not with Anxiety. All these findings were in line with expectations.     

Measurement and correlates of sport-specific cognitive and somatic trait anxiety: The sport anxiety scale

Abstract

Previous research indicates the viability of a distinction between cognitive and somatic components of the anxiety response, and multidimensional anxiety scales have proven useful in relating cognitive and somatic anxiety to behavioral outcomes. This article describes the development and validation of a sport-specific measure of cognitive and somatic trait anxiety. The Sport Anxiety Scale measures individual differences in Somatic Anxiety and in two classes of cognitive anxiety, Worry and Concentration Disruption. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported these dimensions in several different athlete samples. Psychometric properties of the Sport Anxiety Scale are described, as are its relations with other psychological measures and with precompetition affective state measures. In the last of the four studies reported, scores on the Concentration Disruption scale were negatively related to the performance of college football players over the course of a season. The studies suggest that the Sport Anxiety Scale may be useful in defining sport-related anxiety more sharply and assessing how the cognitive and somatic anxiety components relate to performance and other outcome measures in sport.     

Measurement of Preoperative Anxiety in Young Children: Self-report Versus Observer-rated

The utility of the self-report Children’s Anxiety and Pain Scale Anxiety subscale (CAPS-A) in comparison to the widely used, observer-rated Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) in assessing anxiety in children undergoing day surgery procedures was examined. The CAPS-A test-retest reliability, concurrent validity with the Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS), and sensitivity to expected increases in anxiety at stressful times during the preoperative period were examined. Levels of observer-rated (mYPAS) and self-reported anxiety (CAPS-A) were obtained from 61 children (3 to 6 years) undergoing day surgery procedures. The CAPS-A demonstrated adequate test-retest reliability. Concurrent validity between the CAPS-A and mYPAS scores was poor. The CAPS-A failed to show sensitivity to the expected increases in anxiety at stressful time-points. Thus, an alternative scoring strategy for the CAPS-A was proposed (i.e., child’s refusal to point was scored as high anxiety). Post-hoc analyses demonstrated good concurrent and adequate convergent validity with the alternative scoring strategy.     

Development of a scale to assess occupational stress in Rural General Practitioners

One hundred and eighty-four physicians or General Practitioners (GPs) in the five Divisions of General Practice in Rural New South Wales, Australia, completed scales designed to assess Workplace Stressors, Negative Affect caused by stressors, General Work Stress, Other Stress, and General Health. GP Stress was positively correlated with Negative Affect, General Work Stress, poor Psychological Health, poor Somatic Health, Anxiety, Social Dysfunction, and Depression. Results showed that the Rural GP Stress Scale (scale that assessed the presence of stressors in the GPs' work environment) possessed concurrent or criterion validity. Factor analysis of GP Stress scores revealed Workload, Family and Leisure Considerations, Bureaucratic Interference, Education and Training Considerations, and Professional Isolation as five of the nine major stressors in the GPs' work environment. Re-testing, 4–6 weeks later, revealed that the Rural GP Stress Scale was highly reliable.     

Relation of game location and experience on mood states

The study investigated relationships between game location, performers' experience, and mood states. 31 experienced collegiate soccer players completed the Brunel Mood Scale to assess anger, calmness, confusion, depression, fatigue, happiness, tension, and vigor before eight competitive games (four home and four away). Participants were categorized into Experienced and Less Experienced groups, based on the level of performance at which they played. Repeated-measures multivariate analyses of variance compared mean mood scores across location and experience, and follow-up univariate analyses suggested the increase in mood scores on Tension and decrease in scores on Calmness, Happiness, and Vigor between playing away and at home were significantly greater for Less experienced soccer players than Experienced players. Implications of these findings for the applied practitioner are discussed.     

Sensitivity to sensoriprocessing, self-discrepancy, and emotional reactivity of collegiate athletes

This study investigated how differences between athletes who scored low and high on sensoriprocessing sensitivity apply self-discrepancies and emotional reactions to competitive sporting events. Two hypotheses were proposed: The High Sensitivity group (n = 33) would score higher for anxiety, guilt, and shame, and lower on pride and report more stress attributed to self-discrepancies than the Low Sensitivity group (n = 32) following competitive sports events. Collegiate varsity athletes were administered the High Sensitivity Scale prior to competition and completed the Selves Questionnaire and the Goal Congruent and Incongruent Emotion Scale immediately after competition. Scores for the High Sensitivity Scale were used to separate athletes into high and low sensitivity groups. A multivariate analysis of variance and subsequent univariate analyses indicated that the High Sensitivity group reported higher scores on anxiety, shame, and stress than the Low Sensitivity group. This was interpreted as reflecting differences between both ideal and ought self-discrepancies.     

German version of the Kuwait University Anxiety Scale: psychometric parameters

A German translation of the Kuwait University Anxiety Scale, written originally in Arabic, was prepared. A sample of 207 men and women German college students was recruited. Coefficient alpha was .88, whereas the item-remainder correlations ranged from .21 to .63, denoting good internal consistency. The correlation of the scale with the German form of the Trait Anxiety Scale was .76, indicating high criterion-related validity. Three factors were identified: General, Somatic, and Cognitive/Affective Anxiety. German students scored lower (less anxious) than students from the U.S. and 18 Arab countries. The sex difference was not significant for the German sample.     

Relationship of perceived physical self-concept and physical activity level and sex among young children

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between level of physical activity and perceived physical self-concept of young children. The sample comprised 364 children from Slovenia, aged 6.4 yr. (SD = 0.3), of which 179 were boys and 185 girls. Parents and teachers reported children's physical activity using the Harro questionnaire. We divided children into Low and High Activity groups based on their mean scores. The children completed Stein's Children's Physical Self-concept Scale, which assesses Global Physical Self-concept and the subdomains of Physical Performance, Physical Appearance, and Weight Control behavior. Two-way analysis of variance with both sex and physical activity levels, and their interaction were used to examine differences in Physical Self-concept. There were significant differences between the Low and High Activity groups on scores for global Physical Self-concept Scale, Physical Performance, and Weight Control, on which children from the High Activity group scored higher; whereas on the subscale Physical Appearance, there were no significant differences. There were no significant sex differences on the Physical Self-concept Scale. The most important conclusion of this research indicates the theoretical assumptions that Physical Activity and perceived Physical Self-concept are related. Direction of the relationship remains unclarified.     

Cognitive and affective components of empathy and their relationship with personality dimensions in a Chinese sample

Empathy is an essential component of social interactions and may be related to personality characteristics. However, this issue has not been extensively examined in a Chinese sample. Students at six universities in China (N = 257) completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire‐Revised (EPQ‐R), and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS‐21). Using multiple regression analyses, and after accounting for demographic variables (sex and age), it was found that the affective empathy component Personal Distress positively predicted EPQ‐R Neuroticism scores (β = .49), negatively predicted Extraversion (β = –.21) and Lie scale scores (β = –.22), and positively predicted DASS‐21 Depression (β = .26), Anxiety (β = .34) and Stress scores (β = .39). Empathic Concern positively predicted Lie Scale scores (β = .21), and negatively predicted Psychoticism scores (β = –.24). Individuals with high scores in Empathic Concern were also found to score more highly on Fantasy, Personal Distress, Neuroticism, Stress and Anxiety. Thus, more empathic individuals are likely to experience elevations in negative affectivity when they perceive the emotional suffering of others.     

Psychometric evaluation and normative data for a Swedish version of the Patient Health Questionnaire 15‐Item Somatic Symptom Severity Scale

The lack of an available Swedish version of the Patient Health Questionnaire 15‐Item Somatic Symptom Severity Scale (PHQ‐15) motivated the present psychometric evaluation of such a version as well as providing normative data for the PHQ‐15. Data from 3,406 individuals who took part in the Västerbotten Environmental Health Study in Sweden were used. The respondents constitute a random sample, aged 18 to 79 years, stratified for age and sex. They responded to a Swedish translation of the PHQ‐15 as well as the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Shirom Melamed Burnout Questionnaire for assessment of convergent validity. The distribution of PHQ‐15 scores was positively skewed and mesokurtic in shape, and the internal consistency of the PHQ‐15 was satisfactory. Correlation coefficients between PHQ‐15 score and the measures of anxiety, depression, stress and mental/physical exhaustion indicate satisfactory validity. Normative data for PHQ‐15 scores as well as for categories of somatic symptom severity are provided. The favorable psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the PHQ‐15 suggest use of this instrument for quantification of somatization in Swedish and similar populations, and has the advantage of available normative data.     

Divergent, criterion-related, and discriminant validities for the Kuwait University Anxiety Scale

Three analyses were carried out. Analysis I estimated the correlation between the total score of the Kuwait University Anxiety Scale and a self-rating scale of happiness with large sample of male (n = 1,312) and female (n = 1,272) Kuwaiti adolescents. Pearson product-moment correlations were -.43 and -.44 (p < .001) for boys and girls, respectively, suggesting divergent validity of the anxiety scale. Analysis II examined the correlations between scores on the Kuwait University Anxiety Scale and the Somatic Symptoms Inventory for a nonclinical sample of women (n = 30), and female outpatients with anxiety disorder (n = 30). Pearson product-moment correlations were, respectively, .85 and .53, (p < .001), which support the criterion-related validity of the Kuwait University Anxiety Scale with respect to the Somatic Symptoms Inventory. In Analysis III a sample of 60 male and female outpatients with anxiety disorder and 60 nonclinical participants were matched on age, education, and occupation. All responded individually to the Kuwait University Anxiety Scale. Significant differences among groups, especially noticeable for men, support the discriminant validity of the scale. So, the clinical as well as research use of the scale can be recommended. By and large, the divergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validities of the scale have been adequately supported so subsequent replication is expected.     

Academic self-confidence effects on test anxiety among Nigerian university students

The study investigated academic self-confidence effects on test anxiety indicators of performance impairment and intrusive worry. Respondents were 206 Nigerian undergraduate students (mean age = 20.29, SD = 2. 22; female = 43.2%). The students took the Westside Test Anxiety Scale (Driscoll, 2004) and the Academic Self-confidence Scale (Jones, 2001). Data were analysed to predict performance impairment and intrusive worry from academic self-confidence, taking into account students’ year of study and gender. Results suggest that academic self-confidence influenced both performance impairment and intrusive worry dimensions of test anxiety. Students who were high in academic self-confidence reported lower performance impairment or intrusive worry. Also, first year students reported higher intrusive worry than those in second, third, or fourth year of study. High manifestation of academic self-confidence is an asset for coping with test anxiety.     

The dental anxiety scale and effects of dental fear on salivary cortisol

Only a few studies have investigated use of the Dental Anxiety Scale in dental fear-induced neuroendocrine changes. The present study examined 19 female patients, each at two timepoints across an educational and a treatment session within periodontitis therapy. Subjective measures included a visual analogue scale, the STAI State scale, and the Dental Anxiety Scale. Salivary cortisol was measured in parallel across all four timepoints. Although patients were significantly more aroused and anxious prior to the treatment session, salivary cortisol remained unchanged. However, patients with high Dental Anxiety were significantly more aroused and anxious and showed significantly higher salivary cortisol during the educational session than those with low scores on Dental Anxiety. In conclusion, the Dental Anxiety Scale differentiated mean neuroendocrine change between patients scoring low and high for Dental Anxiety and its use as an accurate tool to identify patients with high dental anxiety should be further studied predictively.     

Quiet-eye training for soccer penalty kicks

Anxiety has been shown to disrupt visual attention, visuomotor control and subsequent shot location in soccer penalty kicks. However, optimal visual attention has been trained in other far aiming skills, improving performance and resistance to pressure. We therefore asked a team of ten university soccer players to follow a quiet eye (QE; Vickers 1996) training program, designed to align gaze with aiming intention to optimal scoring zones, over a 7-week period. Performance and gaze parameters were compared to a placebo group (ten players) who received no instruction, but practiced the same number of penalty kicks over the same time frame. Results from a retention test indicated that the QE-trained group had more effective visual attentional control, were significantly more accurate, and had 50% fewer shots saved by the goalkeeper than the placebo group. Both groups then competed in a penalty shootout to explore the influence of anxiety on attentional control and shooting accuracy. Under the pressure of the shootout, the QE-trained group failed to maintain their accuracy advantage, despite maintaining more distal aiming fixations of longer duration. The results therefore provide only partial support for the effectiveness of brief QE training interventions for experienced performers.     

Inhibitory control,conscious processing of movement and anxiety

It has been suggested that a high propensity for reinvestment (i.e., conscious processing of movements) can disrupt performance, but the mechanisms responsible are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine whether people with superior inhibition function (i.e., ability to suppress unwanted thoughts and behaviours) were better able to suppress conscious processing of their movements (i.e., reinvestment). Inhibition function was assessed using a Go/NoGo button-press task, and individual propensity for reinvestment was assessed using the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale (MSRS) and the Decision-Specific Reinvestment Scale (DSRS). The results revealed positive associations between inhibition function and reinvestment propensity, with better inhibition function evident in people who displayed a higher propensity to reinvest (MSRS and DSRS). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that trait anxiety moderated the relationship between inhibition and movement specific reinvestment, with higher MSRS scores associated with better inhibition function in people with low trait anxiety. This association was not significant among people with high trait anxiety. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.     

Decision-specific reinvestment scale: An exploration of its construct validity,and association with stress and coping appraisals

ObjectiveThis research project aimed to explore the construct validity of the Decision-Specific Reinvestment Scale (DSRS); more specifically, its links with stress and coping appraisals.DesignStudy 1 validated the DSRS and the Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale (MSRS) to the French language, in order to examine the construct validity of the DSRS using the MSRS, the Preference for Intuition and Deliberation (PID) inventory and the Melbourne Decision-Making Questionnaire (MDMQ). In addition, sex differences in reinvestment were investigated. Study 2 examined stress and coping appraisals of high and low reinvesters.MethodIn study 1, 379 athletes completed the DSRS, MSRS, PID, and MDMQ. In study 2, 100 handball players, classified as low and high reinvesters, completed surveys aimed to assess stressor intensity, stressor perceived controllability, coping effectiveness, subjective performance and coping strategies with the Coping Inventory for Competitive Sport over three games.ResultsIn study 1, we found that intuitive athletes scored lower on the DSRS in comparison to deliberative athletes, whilst no difference was found for the MSRS. Convergent and discriminant validity was illustrated with the subscales of the MDMQ. No sex differences were found regarding reinvestment. In study 2, findings showed that low reinvesters scored higher than high reinvesters in terms of stressor perceived controllability, coping effectiveness and subjective performance.DiscussionIn addition to confirmation of construct validity, these findings strengthen our understanding of how high decision reinvesters perceive a pressured situation. Key applications are derived from our findings informing coaches and athletes in offsetting the negative effects of reinvestment on sport performance.