Athletes’ beliefs: The mechanism of irrational beliefs’ impact on competitive anxiety
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17627/ALKPSZICH.2025.1.97Keywords:
sport psychology, irrational beliefs, competitive anxiety, REBTAbstract
Background and Aims: Research on irrational beliefs, fundamental to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), has gained increasing attention in sports psychology due to their strong association with competitive anxiety, which affects athletic performance. Prior studies primarily examined correlations between irrational beliefs and competitive anxiety. This study explores the extent and mechanisms through which irrational beliefs – demandingness, awfulizing, frustration intolerance, and self-depreciation – affect cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and self-confidence.
Method: A total of 407 Hungarian amateur and professional athletes participated. Irrational beliefs and competitive anxiety were assessed using the Hungarian version of the Irrational Performance Beliefs Inventory (iPBI-HUN) and the revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (CSAI-2-HR). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27 and AMOS, employing descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation analysis, normality testing, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM).
Results: CFA and internal consistency analyses confirmed the reliability and validity of both instruments. SEM supported the REBT-I model, where demandingness influences competitive anxiety through secondary irrational beliefs. However, the REBT-II model, which posits direct effects of irrational beliefs on competitive anxiety, was not supported.
Conclusions: Secondary irrational beliefs – awfulizing, frustration intolerance, and depreciation – significantly mediate the relationship between demandingness and competitive anxiety. These findings suggest that targeting secondary irrational beliefs in psychological interventions may be crucial for managing competitive anxiety and enhancing self-confidence in athletes.
