Coping styles and self-reported measures of state anxiety and self-confidence

Abstract

Abstract Four stress coping styles in intercollegiate golfers (N = 112) were differentiated based on low and high combinations of repressive defensiveness (scores on the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale) and competitive trait anxiety (scores on the Sport Competition Anxiety Test). The results indicated biased responding on the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) occurs only for repressors (high Marlowe-Crowne, low competitive trait anxiety). Repressors reported higher self-confidence and similar state anxiety as that reported by truly low anxious subjects (low Marlowe-Crowne, low competitive trait anxiety). High social desirability responders who were considered defensive high-anxious (high Marlowe-Crowne, high competitive trait anxiety) did not deny disturbing pre-competition cognitions. When predicting tournament performance with the CSAI-2 subscales, over twice as much variance was accounted for with repressors (assumed to have distorted responses) deleted compared to when all golfer...