Cognitive Anxiety and Its Relationship with Sports Achievement Motivation among Female Futsal Players in Duhok Governorate

The study aimed to identify cognitive anxiety and its relationship with sports achievement motivation among female futsal players in Duhok Governorate. The researcher used the descriptive method, as it was considered appropriate for the nature of the research and for achieving its objectives and hypotheses. The research sample was intentionally selected from female futsal players at Duhok Club and Zakho Club, totaling 26 players. From this group, 20 players were used as the main research sample. In addition, 3 players were included to conduct the scientific procedures and the pilot study. Another 3 players were excluded due to irregular participation in training sessions. Consequently, the final main sample of the study consisted of 20 players. The researcher used the Sport Achievement Motivation Scale prepared by G. Willes (1998) and the Sport Cognitive Anxiety Scale developed by Rainer Martens (1994). The most important conclusions indicated that there was a high level of cognitive anxiety among female futsal players, as well as a high level of achievement motivation among them. The results also showed a statistically significant correlation between the dimensions of cognitive anxiety and the level of achievement motivation among female futsal players. The study recommends increasing health and psychological awareness among talented female players, directing specialists to address the issue of anxiety experienced by athletes, and adopting measures that may help reduce anxiety levels. It also emphasizes the importance of developing a range of assessment scales to study the psychological conditions of talented players better.