Antecedents of multidimensional state anxiety in elite competitive swimmers

This study investigated the situational antecedents of multidimensional precompetitive state anxiety and self-confidence in a sample of 97 elite competitive swimmers. Situational factors (i.e., perceived readiness; attitude towards previous performance; position goal; coach influence, and internal environment) were assessed via the Pre-Race Questionnaire (PRQ), while cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and self-confidence were measured by the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2). All subjects completed the CSAI-2 and PRQ approximately one hour prior to their main competitive event. Stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that: cognitive anxiety was predicted by two factors, perceived readiness and internal environment; somatic anxiety was predicted by internal environment and position goal; and self-confidence was predicted by perceived readiness. These results indicate that cognitive anxiety and self-confidence levels in elite swimmers share common antecedents, as do cognitive anxiety and somatic anxiety, but factors exist which ale also unique to each.