Do psychophysiological responses to competitive anxiety predict competition outcomes? A pilot study in elite female karate athletes

Evaluating psychophysiological markers is key to understanding the allostatic burden of official competitions. This study investigated the associations between responses to competitive anxiety and salivary biomarkers—cortisol (sCort), interleukin-6 (sIL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (sTNF-α)—in elite female karate athletes during competition. Thirty participants (mean age = 21.8 ± 3.4 years) completed the Persian version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Revised (CSAI-2R) approximately 1 h prior to competition to assess cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and self-confidence. Saliva samples were collected 30 min before the competition to quantify biomarker levels. Significant positive associations were observed between sCort and both somatic and cognitive anxiety (p < 0.05), whereas no significant associations were detected between anxiety subscales or self-confidence and sIL-6 or sTNF-α (all p > 0.05). Multiple regression results showed that cognitive and somatic anxiety significantly predicted sCort (p < 0.05), while none of the CSAI-2R variables significantly predicted sIL-6 (p > 0.05) or sTNF-α (p > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that somatic anxiety significantly predicted competition outcome (p < 0.05), whereas other variables did not. These findings highlight the potential utility of monitoring somatic anxiety as a marker of competitive anxiety in elite female karate athletes.