Emotional Intelligence, Motivational Climate and Levels of Anxiety in Athletes from Different Categories of Sports: Analysis through Structural Equations
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Castro Sánchez, Manuel; Zurita Ortega, Félix; Chacón Cuberos, Ramón; López Gutiérrez, Carlos Javier; Zafra Santos, Edson OrlandoEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Emotional intelligence Motivational climate Anxiety Sport
Date
2018-05-01Referencia bibliográfica
Castro Sánchez, M. [et al.]. Intelligence, Motivational Climate and Levels of Anxiety in Athletes from Different Categories of Sports: Analysis through Structural Equations. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 894. [http://hdl.handle.net/10481/55216]
Abstract
(1) Background: Psychological factors can strongly affect the athletes’ performance.
Therefore, currently the role of the sports psychologist is particularly relevant, being in charge
of training the athlete’s psychological factors. This study aims at analysing the connections
between motivational climate in sport, anxiety and emotional intelligence depending on the type
of sport practised (individual/team) by means of a multigroup structural equations analysis.
(2) 372 semi-professional Spanish athletes took part in this investigation, analysing motivational
climate (PMCSQ-2), emotional intelligence (SSRI) and levels of anxiety (STAI). A model of multigroup
structural equations was carried out which fitted accordingly (χ2= 586.77; df = 6.37; р < 0.001;
Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = -0.951; Normed Fit Index (NFI) = -0.938; Incremental Fit Index
(IFI) = 0.947; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.069). (3) Results: A negative and
direct connection has been found between ego oriented climate and task oriented climate, which is
stronger and more differentiated in team sports. The most influential indicator in ego oriented climate
is intra-group rivalry, exerting greater influence in individual sports. For task-oriented climate
the strongest indicator is having an important role in individual sports, while in team sports it is
cooperative learning. Emotional intelligence dimensions correlate more strongly in team sports than
in individual sports. In addition, there was a negative and indirect relation between task oriented
climate and trait-anxiety in both categories of sports. (4) Conclusions: This study shows how the
task-oriented motivational climate or certain levels of emotional intelligence can act preventively in
the face of anxiety states in athletes. Therefore, the development of these psychological factors could
prevent anxiety states and improve performance in athletes.