Expectation of pain as a source of pre-competitive anxiety in Athletes

Brooke Thompson, Robert Eklund, Gershon Tenenbaum, Alysia D. Roehrig

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between the expectation of pain and pre-competitive anxiety. Male and female collegiate athletes (N = 89) completed a set of surveys prior to competition, which measured pain expectations (Expectations of Pain Scale), competitive anxiety (Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2), and expectations of threat (Expectations of Threat Questionnaire). Correlational and regression analyses revealed that pain expectations were related to the experience of pre-competitive anxiety. Similar results were obtained across gender. Overall, the findings of the study support the proposition that the expectation of pain should be considered a viable addition to sources of competitive anxiety presently identified in the extant literature. Further research should be aimed at determining the effect of pain-related anxiety on performance.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)181-197
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Applied Biobehavioral Research
Volume13
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2008
Externally publishedYes

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