Postural stability, personality, and temperament traits in elite sports athletes, football players and control sample

The the cross-sectional study aims to examine the relationship between postural balance and traits of personality and temperament, in comparison of three groups of Participants: elite athletes, football players, and the control sample (undergaduates of physiotherapy faculty). Participants were 73 people, aged between 16 and 30 years old, including 59% of men. Postural control was assessed on a force platform (Type 9286AA, Kistler Instrumente AG, Winterthur, Switzerland) with a sampling frequency of 100 Hz. The center of pressure (COP) parameters was measured during 20 seconds in both conditions eye open, and eye closed, in both directions anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML). The COP parameters were: standard deviation (SD), mean range (RA), mean velocity (MV), and entropy (SE). Big-Five personality traits were measured by the NEO-FFI questionnaire, whereas temperament traits were assesed by using the FCB-TI.