Relationship between competitive anxiety and mental toughness: a latent regression analysis

Abstract

Background. One of the most discussed relationships in sports psychology is the relationship between competitive anxiety and sport performance. Competitive anxiety was found to be influenced by individual factors. An important psychological concept found to be related to competitive anxiety is mental toughness, which is defined as the superior mental qualities of an athlete that sustain success and excellence in sports. Aims. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between mental toughness and competitive anxiety among athlete students. Methods. Participants were 140 athletes from secondary sport schools, handball players, aged between 13 to 19 years (m = 15.97, SD = 1.622). Self-reports were obtained from all athletes regarding their mental toughness (Sport Mental toughness Questionnaire) and their competitive anxiety (Sport Anxiety Scale-2). Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling framework. Results. Correlation between Sport Mental Toughness scales ranged between r=.289 and r=.489. Correlation for Sport Anxiety Scale dimensions ranged between r=.418 and r=.633, all of them being positive. Standardized path indicator between Sport Mental Toughness and Sport Anxiety Scale was β = -.843, which explains almost 71% of the latent endogenous variance (R2=.711). Conclusions. The results of the current study highlighted the relationship between mental toughness and competitive anxiety.