Selective Antecedents of Competitive State Anxiety Dimensions During High Stakes in Elite Competition

Abstract

This present study investigated the influence of competitive state anxiety antecedents on the intensity, direction, and frequency dimensions of elite athletes during high stakes in table tennis competition. Thirty-three (N= 33) purposively sampled elite table tennis players from Ghana completed the modified version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, incorporating the direction and frequency of intrusion subscales during breaks within competitive matches. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses on intensity dimension revealed that cognitive anxiety was significantly predicted by only the age factor while no predictors emerged for somatic anxiety. Self-confidence was significantly predicted by only competitive experience. For directional dimension, gender and age emerged as significant predictors of cognitive anxiety. However, none of the factors were found to significantly predict somatic anxiety and self-confidence. Regarding frequency dimension, cognitive anxiety was significantly related to competitive experience and age whereas no predictors emerged for somatic anxiety. Competitive experience factor was also significantly associated with self-confidence. Findings underscore the need to measure these anxiety dimensions concurrently because they are triggered by different antecedents. Psychological skills interventions should be idiosyncratic based, targeting more self-confidence management strategies in alleviating the effect of cognitive anxiety during competitive matches when demands are very high.