Associations between competitive anxiety, athlete characteristics and sport context: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background: There is a vast literature investigating the possible associations between competitive anxiety, athlete variables and sports context. As far as we are concerned, there is no study which has compiled such findings to produce more robust evidence on this topic. Objectives: The aim of the study was to conduct an exploratory systematic review of the literature followed by a meta-analysis in order to investigate possible associations between competitive anxiety, social-demographic characteristics, profile of the athlete and sports context. Methods: Systematic searches of PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, Lilacs and SciELO electronic databases were performed to identify studies published between January 2006 and January 2018, including a manual search in the references of the selected studies. Results: A total of 59 studies were included for qualitative synthesis and 27 for meta-analysis. More robust associations were observed between competitive anxiety and female gender, lower age, and less experience time. Discussion: Knowing the variables which exert influence on competitive anxiety can be relevant to plan specific treatment and intervention programs, enabling the athlete's development beyond technical and physical preparation.

摘要 背景：目前已有大量文献探讨竞赛焦虑（competitive anxiety）、运动员相关变量与运动情境之间的潜在关联。据我们所知，目前尚无研究整合此类研究结果，以针对该主题提供更具说服力的证据。
目的：本研究旨在先对现有文献开展探索性系统综述，随后结合元分析（meta-analysis），以探究竞赛焦虑、社会人口学特征、运动员概况与运动情境之间的潜在关联。
方法：本研究对PubMed、PsycInfo、Web of Science、Lilacs及SciELO电子数据库开展系统性检索，筛选2006年1月至2018年1月期间发表的相关研究，并对入选研究的参考文献进行手动回溯检索。
结果：共计纳入59项研究进行定性综合，27项研究用于元分析。研究发现，竞赛焦虑与女性性别、较低年龄及较短运动经验时长之间存在更为显著的关联。
讨论：明确对竞赛焦虑产生影响的相关变量，有助于制定针对性的治疗与干预方案，助力运动员在技术与体能训练之外实现全面发展。