Effects of a Psychological Intervention Program on Competitive Anxiety and Psychological Profile in Young Soccer Players

Abstract

Our aim in the present study was to test the efficacy of a 13-week, 19-session psychological intervention program on young soccer players’ competitive anxiety and their sport psychological profiles. Participants were 37 players in the under-15 age category, of which 18 players formed the experimental group ( M age = 14.67 years, SD = .48) and 19 players formed the control group ( Mage = 14.23 years, SD = .42); this was a quasi-experimental design without random assignment to groups. We had all participants complete the Psychological Inventory of Sport Performance (IPED), the Questionnaire of Psychological Characteristics of Sport Performance (CPRD), and the Competition State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) before and after the intervention. Results indicated positive effects for the intervention group (but not the control group) on stress control and motivation dimensions of the CPRD, cognitive anxiety and self-confidence on the CSAI-2, and self-confidence and attentional control on the IPED. These results suggest that psychological training for athletes contributes to their improved psychological skills, providing them tools to better adapt to the competitive environment.