Study on the Link Between Self-Esteem and Team Identity as Major Factors in Tackling Competitive Anxiety in Performance Athletes

Abstract

Sports competition and athletic performance are of major interest in sports psychology. Throughout the history of sports, researchers have sought to identify the modifiable factors that could help those who take part in competition to adapt to it as best as possible. In this study, we will focus on identifying certain psychological factors described in the specialized literature as having a consistent link to decreasing competitive anxiety, while looking for implementable techniques to improve these factors. The aim of this study was to identify effective methods for decreasing competitive anxiety, reaching a state of flow and influencing the dimensions of mindfulness (awareness, refocus, non-judgment). The study included a total number of 27 female subjects and was conducted over a period of 4 months (21.07.2022-21.11.2022). In the study, the subjects were divided into two groups: one working group where the intervention took place and in which 15 female footballers from League 1 were randomly assigned, and one control group with 12 female footballers. The two groups underwent an evaluation aimed at identifying the achievement of the state of flow and the reduction of competitive anxiety after a few mental and physical relaxation exercises. The results of the statistical processing of data show some differences between the two groups in terms of score for the tracked parameters, but also between the results of each group in the pre- and post-tests. However, statistically significant differences between the two groups were obtained only for the state of flow and somatic anxiety. The state of flow, of mental wellbeing, should be considered before, during and after each sports competition, regardless of its level, in order to achieve a satisfactory performance in the world of sports, correlated with the expectations and the training of each athlete. Keywords: competitive state anxiety, mindfulness, state of flow