The relationship between sport perfectionism and pre-competitive anxiety in team athletes: gender and sport-specific differences

Introduction. In team sports, psychological factors such as sport perfectionism and pre-competitive anxiety play important role in athletes’ well-being. Sport perfectionism, characterized by a relentless pursuit of high standards, can enhance motivation but may also contribute to anxiety and distress. Also, perfectionistic traits have been linked to psychological strain and potential health risks. Pre-competitive anxiety can also increase stress responses, affecting athletes’ overall health. This study examines the relationship between sport perfectionism and pre-competitive anxiety in team athletes. Methods. A 132 athletes (49.2% males) from volleyball, basketball and football teams participated in the study. Sport perfectionism was assessed using the Multidimensional Sport Perfectionism Scale-2 (SMPS-2), including personal standards, concern over mistakes, perceived parental and coach pressure, doubts about actions, and organization subscales. Pre-competitive anxiety was measured with the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2), which assesses cognitive, somatic anxiety and self-confidence. Results. Concerns about mistakes, perceived parental and coach pressure, and doubts about actions were associated with higher cognitive and somatic anxiety in both genders (p < 0.05). In females, personal standards were positively linked to cognitive anxiety, while concerns about mistakes and self-doubt were negatively related to self-confidence (p<0.05). In males, Self-confidence was positively linked to personal standards and organization but negatively associated with parental pressure (p < 0.05). Across sports, concern over mistakes and doubts about actions were linked to higher anxiety, with coach pressure particularly related with somatic anxiety in volleyball and basketball, and cognitive anxiety in football teams (p < 0.05). Conclusions. Both male and female athletes showed significant relationships between sport perfectionism and precompetitive anxiety, but gender differences were observed. Volleyball, basketball and football sport-specific variations were identified. These findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions to support athletes’ psychological and physiological health, optimize training strategies, and improve pre-competition preparation.