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).