Stress and Anxiety in Sport

Question 1

define stress

Answer 1

a stimulus resulting in a positive or negative response to a specific situation

Question 2

define eustress

Answer 2

a positive form of stress that gives a feeling of fulfilment and arousal

Question 3

what are the benefits of eustress?

Answer 3

it can enhance motivation, focus, and performance

Question 4

provide a sporting example wherein eustress is in effect

Answer 4

e.g
a runner feels pumped before a race, interpreting the nerves as excitement, leading to improved performance

Question 5

define distress

Answer 5

a negative form of stress that can hinder performance and well-being

Question 6

what are the consequences of an athlete experiencing distress?

Answer 6

in extreme cases, it causes anxiety and apprehension from feeling overwhelmed

Question 7

provide a sporting example wherein distress is in effect

Answer 7

e.g
a footballer feels overwhelmed by the importance of a match, leading to poor concentration and mistakes

Question 8

define what the cognitive effects of stress are

Answer 8

the mental or psychological effects

Question 9

define what the somatic effects of stress are?

Answer 9

the physical or physiological effects

Question 10

COGNITIVE EFFECTS: EUSTRESS (4)

Answer 10

• increased focus and concentration
• enhanced motivation and drive
• improved decision making
• greater confidence and positive thinking

Question 11

SOMATIC EFFECTS: EUSTRESS (5)

Answer 11

• increased heart rate and blood flow
• heightened muscle readiness and reaction time
• controlled breathing and efficient oxygen use
• increased adrenaline
• enhanced neuromuscular efficiency

Question 12

COGNITIVE EFFECTS: DISTRESS (6)

Answer 12

• less concentration and focus
• confusion
• irrational thoughts
• increased anxiety and fear of failure
• poor decision making
• mental fatigue

Question 13

SOMATIC EFFECTS: DISTRESS (5)

Answer 13

• increased heart rate and breathing
• sweating, shaking or nausea
• increased blood pressure
• disrupted fine motor skills
• excessive muscle tension

Question 14

define stressor

Answer 14

perceived demand; any situation, event or condition that causes stress

Question 15

provide examples of the different types of stressors within sports

Answer 15

external stressors
crowd noise
high expectations
media pressure

internal pressure
self doubt
fear of failure
perfectionism
illness
sleep

Question 16

mcgrath (1970) suggests that when placed in a stressful situation, a performer would respond by progressing through how many stages?

Answer 16

four stages

Question 17

list the four stages an athlete will progress through when placed in a stressful situation (4)

Answer 17

environmental demands
perception of environmental demands
stress response
actual behaviour

Question 18

apply the four stages to a sporting example

Answer 18

environment demand
last penalty in a shoot-out cup final

perception
positive = “my chance to be a hero. i can do it”

negative = “what if i miss?”

stress response
cognitive positive = increased focus, enhanced motivation

somatic positive = controlled breathing, enhanced neuromuscular efficiency

cognitive negative = overthinking, fear of failure

somatic negative = sweaty palms, muscle tension

actual behaviour
positive = stay composed, score the penalty

negative = strike the ball poorly, miss the penalty

Question 19

define anxiety

Answer 19

a form of fear or apprehension created by awareness of arousal ; a negative emotional state because a situation is seen as threatening

Question 20

how many types of anxiety are there?

what are they known as?

Answer 20

four

• trait anxiety
• state anxiety

+ cognitive state anxiety
+ somatic state anxiety

Question 21

define trait anxiety

Answer 21

enduring (a personality trait) ; people with high trait anxiety will become anxious even in non-threatening situations

Question 22

provide a sporting example wherein trait anxiety is in effect

Answer 22

an individual feeling on edge when playing in a pre-season friendly

Question 23

define state anxiety

Answer 23

a temporary personal state ; a response to a particular situation which may be seen as a threat

Question 24

provide a sporting example wherein state anxiety is in effect

Answer 24

taking a penalty kick during a cup final in the last few minutes to win the game

Question 25

an individual's state anxiety reactions can be influenced or determined by their level of trait anxiety how?

Answer 25

an athlete with *low levels of trait anxiety* will not perceive any more state anxiety than expected an athlete with *high levels of trait anxiety* will therefore have heightened state anxiety

Question 26

define **behavioural anxiety**

Answer 26

observable actions or responses to anxiety + often how others recognise anxiety in someone else

Question 27

how does anxiety change in the lead up to, and during, a competition? (4)

Answer 27

- **cognitive state anxiety** increases slowly and gradually in the days prior to a competition - **cognitive state anxiety** changes during competition, as the likelihood of success or failure changes - **somatic state anxiety** tends to be low well before competition, but increases rapidly as the event approaches - **somatic state anxiety** generally decreases during competition

Question 28

identify and describe some examples of **tests that measure for anxiety (and stress)** (3)

Answer 28

**sport competitive anxiety test** (SCAT 1977) emotional and physiological *responses to stress in competitive situations* **state trait anxiety inventory** (STAI 1970) emotional and physiological *responses to stress in general and specific situations* **competitive state anxiety inventory - 2** (CSAI - 2 1990) emotional responses in competitive situations

Question 29

**STRESS AND MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES**: COGNITIVE (5)

Answer 29

**imagery** creating mental images to escape the immediate effects of stress ; recreate an environment that is very relaxing **visualisation** creating a mental image of what you want to happen or feel ; diverts attention **attention control** maintaining concentration on appropriate cues and reducing the number of errors caused by other distractions ; altering selective attention **self-talk** developing positive thoughts about one's actions ; thought-stopping **cognitive relabelling** an athlete who labels arousal before a game as apprehension can re-label it as excitement **goal setting**

Question 30

**STRESS AND MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES**: SOMATIC (4)

Answer 30

**biofeedback** helps teach an athlete how to control physiological responses **progressive muscular relaxation** allows the athlete to contract relaxation and tension within the muscles ; used to remove / reduce excessive muscle tension **deep breathing control** diaphragmatic breathing as a means on focusing on relaxation ; encourages full oxygen exchange, reduces HR, stabilises / lowers BP **centring** using deep breathing as a way of refocusing concentration

Question 31

examples of **biofeedback** (4)

Answer 31

- heart rate monitors - finger thermometers - electromyograms - galvanic skin response detectors