Gender Differences on the Sources of Anxiety and Level of Sport Performance Among Malaysian Athletes

Abstract

A few factors have been identified as the sources of anxiety, among them are high hope, fear of lose, perceived sport event as very important, negative evaluation, fear of injury, knowledge of the opposition team, uncertainty, past unpleasant experience, audience present, and playing at the opposition’s place. However, the precise sources of anxiety are still not determined among athletes. Since perception of anxiety is different according to individuals, the sources of anxiety may also vary according to the individuals. The aim of this research was to identify the factors contributing to the level of anxiety by focusing on male and female athletes. Besides that, this research also evaluates the performance of athletes. The sample consisted of 908 athletes, male (N = 502) and female athletes (N = 406). The sample was drawn from athletes who competed in MASUM (sport between universities), MSSM (sport between schools), and Sukan Olimpik Muda (Young Olympic athletes Sport). The present study revealed that high hope as the highest, and playing at the opposition’s place as the lowest source of anxiety among athletes. Results revealed that female athletes reported more sources of anxiety than male athletes. Results also showed that high-performance athletes experience low sources of anxiety. Sport psychologists, sport counselors, or coaches should use this research to recommend coping strategies, which is related to the source of anxiety to female athletes, to enhance their performance.