The effect of psychological skills training on competitive state anxiety in collegiate swimmers

The present study examined the effects of psychological skills training on competitive state anxiety, as measured by the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2). Participants were 60 swimmers from an intercollegiate Division III team who were randomly assigned to a control, goal setting, imagery, or relaxation group. One hour prior to the first competition of the season, participants completed the CSAI-2. Over the following 5 weeks, participants engaged in 10 sessions of psychological skills training. A control group received no training. All participants completed the CSAI-2 again, one hour prior to competition in a final swim meet. It was hypothesized that participants engaging in psychological skills training would report lower levels of cognitive and somatic anxiety and show higher levels of self-confidence than the control group. Also, it was hypothesized that participants engaging in imagery training would report lower levels of anxiety and show higher levels of self-confidence than all other groups. Results revealed that participants in the imagery group decreased cognitive and somatic anxiety, and increased self-confidence consistently more than any other condition from the first competition to the final competition