A study to examine the relationships between athlete anxiety and perceived coaching behaviours among varsity basketball players

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between athlete anxiety (total anxiety, somatic anxiety, concentration disruption, and worry) and athlete perceived coaching behaviours (physical training, mental preparation, goal setting, technical skills, competition strategies, personal rapport, and negative personal rapport) among varsity basketball players. Specifically, the purpose was to attempt to cross-validate Bakers, Cote, and Hawes' (2000) findings in a sport-specific setting. A total of 155 varsity female and male basketball players completed a questionnaire consisting of the Profile of Mood States (POMS; McNair, Lorr, & Droppleman), the Sport Anxiety Scale (SAS; Smith, Smoll, & Schultz, 1990), and the Coaching Behaviour Scale for Sport (CBS-S; Cote, Yardley, Hay, Sedgwick, & Baker, 1999). Hierarchical linear regressions revealed that only two forms of coaching behaviours were significantly associated with player anxiety. Specifically, the study found a negative significant relationship between perceived physical training and somatic anxiety as well as between competition strategies and concentration disruption. Overall, the results of the study depicted minimal significant findings between athlete anxiety and perceived coaching behaviours. Proposed rationales for the limited findings are provided in the discussion.