Gender, age, and professional-level differences in the psychological correlates of fear of injury in Italian gymnasts

The present study investigated differences in the relations linking anxiety, self-efficacy, and fear of injury in a group of Italian gymnasts as a function of their age, gender, and level of professional competence/competition. One hundred eighty-six gymnasts participated in the study They filled ou...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of sport behavior 2005-03, Vol.28 (1), p.3
Main Authors: Cartoni, Anna Claudia, Minganti, Carlo, Zelli, Arnaldo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age differences
Athletes
Fear
Gender differences
Gymnastics
Gymnasts
Psychological aspects
Risk factors
Sports injuries
Wounds and injuries
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Summary:The present study investigated differences in the relations linking anxiety, self-efficacy, and fear of injury in a group of Italian gymnasts as a function of their age, gender, and level of professional competence/competition. One hundred eighty-six gymnasts participated in the study They filled out three separate questionnaires, the Self-efficacy for Physical Abilities Scale (Bortoli & Robazza, 1996), a Trait Anxiety questionnaire (Busnelli, Dall'Aglio & Faina, 1974) and the Gymnastics Fear Inventory an instrument that was specifically developed for the present study. Data were first analyzed by 2x2 ANOVAs to examine possible gender, age, and professional-level differences in the mean scores of fear, anxiety, and self-efficacy for physical abilities. Moderating group differences were then examined, that is, we evaluated the possibility that the magnitude of the relations among constructs would vary with gymnasts' gender, age, and professional-level. On average, male gymnasts were less anxious and more efficacious than female gymnasts; however, gender groups did not differ on fear of physical in July. Furthermore, gymnasts with greater experience expressed more fear of physical injury than gymnasts with less experience. Despite these mean group differences, the relations linking fear of physical injury to self-efficacy and anxiety did not vary with gymnasts' gender, age, and professional-level, thus indicating the generalizability of intervening processes across groups. This research provides further insight on how the professional performance of athletes significantly depends on psychological dimensions and processes of individual differences.
ISSN:0162-7341
2641-3477