Differences in Level of Anxiety During Practice and Competition

Monica Gruszka, Tennille Jago, Rebecca Lea, Erin Parish (Australian Catholic University)

This research was conducted during the taught unit ‘Exercise Psychology – HMSC236’ and was supervised by Dr. Stephen Burke.

The rationale for this study was designed to examine the levels of state and trait anxiety that were experienced prior to a basketball practice session and basketball competition, and whether there were any differences between these two environmental settings. Anxiety was measured using the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) and the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) (Martens, Vealey & Burton, 1990). The Sample size consisted of 18 High School A-Grade basketball players with the age ranging from 15-17 (15.5 ± 0.62). Subjects were given the two questionnaires (CSAI-2 followed by the SCAT, in that order) initially 10 minutes prior to the start of practice (2 weeks prior to commencement of competition) and 10 minutes prior to the start of competition. A within-subject paired analysis failed to show any significance with somatic anxiety, cognitive anxiety and self confidence, between practice and competition. Analysis of trait anxiety showed a significance (p > 0.05) within subjects but failed to show significance when related to state anxiety. In conclusion, competition and practice variables failed to display any acknowledgeable, significance but possibly, by increasing sample size and period of testing, could change this result to support other study (Makay, Selig, Carlson & Morris, 1997). Once this is done, this knowledge can be applied to performance enhancement and game skills.

Key Words: Practice, Competition, State Anxiety, Somatic Anxiety, Cognitive Anxiety, Self Confidence, Trait Anxiety, CSAI-2, SCAT.

As a gymnast prepares to mount the balance beam, she says to herself, "My heart is pounding a thousand miles an hour, I can feel my hands trembling and I know I’m going to fall." Such statements are quite common among gymnasts and other athletes just before competition. Such dialogue reflects not only the athlete’s perception of the body but also the interpretation they have placed on these changes (Matheson & Mathes, 1991).

Competitive anxiety to contains two subcomponents: Cognitive and somatic anxiety. Cognitive anxiety is characterised by negative thoughts, inability to concentrate and disrupt attention. Somatic anxiety is ones perception of their physiological arousal such as rapid heart rate, tense muscles, and butterflies in the stomach.

Anxiety can be measured through several different means and specific tools. In this study, the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) was used to measure competitive trait anxiety (A-trait). This tool is a self - report psychometric inventory of A - trait consisting of 15 items, 5 of them being spurious items (Martens et al. 1990; Winberg & Gould 1999).

State anxiety (A-state) scales such as the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory - 2 (CSAI-2) can be used in conjunction with SCAT, as was distributed in this research. Respondents should be aware of how these scales differ; A- state inventories require respondents to report how they feel at the moment, not how they generally feel There is an evident link between A- trait and A- State. Martens et al. (1990) discusses that there is a critical new step that examines how these constructs interact and influence performance. That is, the predisposition A –trait of an athlete will determine the response, or A - state, which will inevitably impact on motor performance. This is the relationship between competitive A -trait and motor performance as mediated by A – state.

State anxiety was measured by the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory - 2 (CSAI - 2) (Martens et al 1990). The CSAI – 2 assess two components of state anxiety, cognitive worry and somatic anxiety, and a related constricts self-confidence. Both questionnaires (SCAT and CSAI-2) were handed to athletes prior to sports events

The CSAI - 2 contains 9 items that represent each sub - scale. Thus, each sub - scale has a range from 9 to 36. Higher scores on cognitive and somatic anxiety indicate higher levels of anxiety whereas higher scores on self – confidence sub – scale correspond to higher levels of self-confidence (Martens et al. 1990 and Mckay et al. 1997).

The purpose of this present study, consequently will be to use the psychological approach to investigate the anxiety levels prior to playing a basketball competition and practice session. By studying this intra- individual analysis’, it was hypothesised that:

1. Cognitive and somatic state anxiety would be greater prior to competition, than prior to practice.

2. Self-confidence will be greater prior to practice than competition.

3. Trait anxiety effects state anxiety during both practice and competition.

18 male high school basketball players (mean age 15.5 ± 1.5) of A and B grade standard, were selected for study. All payers had a minimum of two years experience, and trained two to three times per week, and compete one to two times per week during peak season.. The first test was completed prior to a practice session two weeks prior to the start of competition before practice commenced the CSAI – 2 (a state anxiety inventory) followed by the SCAT (a trait anxiety inventory) were completed. Both these questionnaires were issued once again in the same order. Prior to the first round of the Metropolitan Catholic Schools (MCS) A Grade Basketball Competition.

Competitive state anxiety was assessed by using the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory - 2 (CSAI-2, Martens et al. 1990) which is a self report, psychometric state anxiety inventory, consisting of 27 items. The CSAI-2 normally takes less then five minutes to complete and was administered ten minutes before competition and practice session. Before allowing subjects to begin completing the CSAI-2, instructions were explained, and researchers ensured that all instructions were completely understood.

To examine the effects that environmental factors have on anxiety, the CSAI-2 and SCAT were administered prior to competition and practice. The results were analysis using a paired T - test. The paired T-test revealed no significance between the three sub scales of the CSAI-2. The paired T test compared like sub scales of the CSAI-2. It revealed cognitive anxiety - practice (24.11 + 3.91), cognitive anxiety- competition (23.17 + 4.33) (Graph 1), somatic anxiety - practice (28.5 + 5.14), somatic anxiety - competition (26.62 + 4.98) (Graph 2), self-confidence - practice (19.22 + 5.75), self-confidence - competition (19.72 + 4.69) (Graph 3). The significant differenced of the three sub scales were also analysed by the paired T -test. These values showed no significance.

The SCAT values were also analysed using a paired T -test on the competition and practice variables, because trait anxiety is a predisposition characteristic. The two means were similar (SCAT - practice, 17.61 + 4.45) SCAT competition, (19.22 + 4.73). With the significance being P less then 0.05, (Graph 4). The results show through the paired T - test the somatic and cognitive anxiety was higher during practice and self-confidence was highest during competition. To examine relationships between anxiety components of the CSAI-2 and SCAT, Pearson Product moment correlation co-efficient were calculated for competition and practice. A modern correlation was since between A - trait (0.652, P less then 0.05). No other evidence correlation was found between cognitive and somatic anxiety and self-confidence.

Results of the study indicate that levels of state anxiety and self-confidence are not influenced by competitive conditions. Only the SCAT values show a high correlation, which was to be expected, as it is a trait anxiety sub scale. CSAI-2 sub components showed no significant correlation between practice and competition.

In this study the results failed to prove the hypothesis that somatic and cognitive anxiety would be greater prior to competition, then to practice. Upon examining the results no relationship was seen between practice and competition. As presented by McKay et al. (1997), cognitive and somatic anxiety have been found to be higher in competition then practice. However, the reason for our results disclaiming these examined outcomes can be held responsible for several reasons. Firstly, increasing the sample size and period of testing would benefit the validity of our results. By this testing should occur four to five times prior to different practice sessions and four or five times prior to competition. By testing a multiple amount of times, will reduce the possibility of situational bias. This means that feelings and emotions that may effect anxiety of the subjects on the day of testing can be eliminated by means of multifaceted testing protocol. The subsequent results of multiple testing would hopefully elucidate on the confined single results as tested. However, due to time restraints, one period of testing was all that was practical, and this lead to an error in results (according) to the other literature (McKay et al. 1997; Martens et al. 1990).

Finally, it was also hypothesised that trait anxiety would A- state during both practice and competition. However, even though a relationship was seen between SCAT - competition and SCAT - practice (P < 0.05) there was no relationship found between A - trait and A - state. As A-trait is a predisposed characteristic, the results proved this (P < 0.05).

As McKay et al. (1997) found that no measure could distinguish between the anxiety during the different stages of a competition, it may be useful to further research this field in basketball to consolidate these findings.

The contributions of this study is to lay way to further investigation of levels of A - state during practice and competition, where these factors occurred. McKay et al. (1997) furthered this example in golfers by conducting a psychophysiological study, finding out that anxiety and stress can be monitored by measures such as heart rate and salivary cortisol. Once these impulse factors are found then they can be applied to performance from enhancement and optimisation of skill.

Reference List