Prediction of Competitive Anxiety Based on Achievement Motivation and Sport Self-Efficacy with the Mediating Role of Dysfunctional Attitudes in Female Track-and-Field Athletes in Isfahan

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Sport Sciences, Khomeini Shahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khomeini Shahr, Iran.

Abstract
Women, due to cultural issues and family responsibilities, are exposed to greater pressure, which influences their sport performance and leads to higher levels of anxiety and tension under competitive conditions. The present study aimed to predict competitive anxiety based on achievement motivation and sport self-efficacy with the mediating role of dysfunctional attitudes in female track-and-field athletes in the city of Isfahan. The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population included 150 female track-and-field athletes in Isfahan in 2025 (1404 in the Iranian calendar), all of whom were selected through census sampling. The State Competitive Anxiety Inventory by Martinez et al. (1990), the Achievement Motivation Scale by Helmreich & Spence (1997), the Sport Self-Efficacy Scale by Besharat et al. (2009), and the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale by Power et al. (1994) were used as measurement instruments. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 and structural equation modelling (SEM) via Smart-PLS version 3. Findings showed that the proposed model resulted in acceptable goodness-of-fit indices. Competitive anxiety can be predicted based on achievement motivation and sport self-efficacy through the mediating role of dysfunctional attitudes in female track-and-field athletes in Isfahan.

Keywords


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