Anxiety

• Anxiety


  The condition of feeling uneasy or worried about what may happen
• somatic anxiety

  Physiological anxiety, eg sweating, fast heart rate, nausea
• cognitive anxiety

  Psychological anxiety, eg loss of concentration, inability to cope, apprehension, fear of failure
• Trait anxiety


  Always have it, high trait anxiety means they would see most situations as threatening and would always feel nervous. Level depends on situation
• State anxiety

  Situation dependant anxiety, may happen at a specific time where pressure is heightened, if a performer has high trait anxiety they are likely to experience high state anxiety
• Observationsfor anxiety

  Observe normal behaviour so they can identify anxiety related behaviour. Behaviour is analysed before, during and after play.

  Advantages- allows a coach to improve specific aspects, can see effect of stress, easily repeated, issues highlighted easily

  Disadvantages- time consuming as the coach is not able to watch a wide range of players, may need specialist training, can cause anxiety, subjective opinion, performer may change behaviour as soon as they realise they are being observed
• Physiological testing for anxiety

  Monitors the physiological response to a situation, includes heart rate monitors, sweat production etc

  Advantages- quantitative data is more reliable, easily comparable, doesn't distract performance

  Disadvantages- can be expensive, may need specialist training, may restrict movement, may add stress giving incorrect results
• Self-report questionnaires


  Sport Competition Anxiety test (SCAT)- measures how players respond to situations

  Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory- measures cognitive and somatic anxiety

  Advantages- easy and quick, efficient in large groups, cheap to run, easily comparable

  Disadvantages- possible misinterpretation, socially desirable answers, mood can affect answers, rushed, actual response may not be listed
• Definition: a negative emotional state characterised by nervousness, worry and apprehension and associated with activation and arousal of the body.
• Anxiety negatively affects performance. It is caused by a performers perception that their ability is not good enough.
• Types of anxiety

  1)     Somatic anxiety: physiological symptoms of anxiety such as increased HR, BP, sweat levels and muscle tension.

  2)     Cognitive anxiety: mental symptoms of anxiety such as worrying, irrational thoughts, confusion and learned helplessness.

  3)     Competitive trait anxiety: performer has a natural tendency to become anxious in all sporting situations. They have genetic predispositions.

  4)     Competitive state anxiety: performer only gets anxious in specific sporting situations and often in high-pressure moments. It can be caused by negative past experiences.
• Somatic and cognitive anxiety tend to occur together in sport. For maximal performance, athlete should have low levels of cognitive anxiety (not worried about performing). Moderate level of somatic anxiety produces the best performance, low levels mean performer isn’t stimulated enough, high levels mean there are excessive levels of adrenaline in the body, increasing likelihood of somatic symptoms occurring and therefore reducing performance levels.
• Causes of anxiety:

  o   Task importance

  o   Loosing/fear of failure

  o   Perceived inaccuracy of official’s decisions

  o   Being fouled

  o   Injury/fear of injury

  o   Lack of self-confidence/efficacy

  o   Audience effects (e.g. abusive crowd)

  o   Evaluation apprehension

  Anxiety can be measured using questionnaires, observation and physiological methods such as heart rate monitors, measuring sweat etc.
• Questionnaires:

  Self-report questionnaires are often used to measure anxiety. Martens’ Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) was devised specifically to measure anxiety in sporting situations. Performers answer, rating their level of anxiousness for statements. Coaches and psychologists can therefore evaluate which performers need help with managing anxiety.
• State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is a 40-question tests that distinguishes between specific state and specific trait anxiety. Performers score themselves on a scale of 1-4 per question, which measures feelings of nervousness, worry, apprehension, and tension based on performers current feelings (state) and their general feelings (trait).
• The Competitive State Anxiety Inventory- 2 (CSAI-2) was developed to measure cognitive and somatic anxiety and self-confidence in competitive situations. Performers rate themselves on a 4-point scale as to how they are currently feeling in 27 statements. Usually this is given out more than once leading up to a big event, as this will indicate the level and type of anxiety experienced and when.
• Questionnaires = cheap and efficient, lot of info gathered in a short amount of time. But performer may not answer truthfully, they may not understand questions being asked and responses given are affected by environmental factors, for example time of day questionnaire is taken.#
• Observation

  Real-life method whereby performers behaviour is analysed before, during and after play. However, it is very subjective as each observer will interpret differently. It is time consuming. Observers need to be aware of performers normal anxiety levels so they can see changes during competitive situations. Performer may change behaviour once they notice they are being observed.
• Physiological methods

  Generate factual data on somatic responses such as heart rate and blood pressure levels. Can be taken immediately during performance. Involve performers wearing monitors, which may restrict movements, equipment could be expensive, and performer knows they are being monitored which may cause a physiological response and therefore an inaccurate reading.