Perfectionism and competitive anxiety in young Spanish athletes

The objectives of this study were to examine levels of perfectionism and their relationship to competitive anxiety response in young athletes, and to analyze differences according to gender, age, sports experience, and frequency of weekly training. For this, a non-experimental, descriptive design was established where the participants answered the Frost Perfectionism Multidimensional Scale (FMPS) and the Competitive Anxiety Inventory (CSAI-2R). The sample consisted of 241 young Spanish competition athletes (15.36years, SD = 1.07) belonging to sports teams and federations. The results showed moderate levels of anxiety with a tendency toward organization and self-confidence in most of the athletes analyzed. It was found that the dimensions of perfectionism are positively related to both cognitive and somatic anxiety, and only expectations of achievement and organization are related to self-confidence. According to gender, perfectionism is shown to be higher in boys, while anxiety is more perceived by girls. Likewise, significant differences were found with respect to expectations of achievement in favor of boys, and both in somatic anxiety and self-confidence in favor of girls. Finally, neither sports experience nor the number of weekly training sessions showed statistically significant results.