Emotional Intelligence and Psychobiosocial States: Mediating Effects of Intra-Team Communication and Role Ambiguity

Rachele Nateri,Laura Bortoli,Asko Tolvanen,Antonis Hatzigeorgiadis,Claudio Robazza,Montse C Ruiz

doi:10.3390/su12219019

Rachele Nateri, Laura Bortoli + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219019

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Abstract

Emotional intelligence is an important variable related to the interaction and functioning of sports teams. The present study examined the relationship between players’ trait emotional intelligence and functional and dysfunctional psychobiosocial states. In particular, we examined the mediating effects of intra-team communication efficacy and role ambiguity in this relationship. The participants were 291 (174 men and 117 women) Italian players involved in various team sports (i.e., futsal, soccer, volleyball, handball, and rugby). They completed a multi-section questionnaire assessing the study variables during the early/middle part of their competitive seasons. Structural equation modeling (SEM) showed trait emotional intelligence to positively predict functional psychobiosocial states and negatively predict dysfunctional psychobiosocial states. Effective intra-team communication mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and functional states, while role ambiguity was a mediator of the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and dysfunctional states. Overall, the results highlight the importance of examining trait emotional intelligence as an antecedent of players’ psychobiosocial states in applied sport contexts both in terms of team functioning and individual optimal sport experience.

Highlights

A substantial amount of research attention has been focused on the study of athletes’ emotional experiences and their relationship with performance [1,2]
Most research investigating emotional intelligence has examined the relationship between emotional intelligence and athletic performance, with empirical evidence from studies in various sports indicating that trait emotional intelligence, typically assessed with self-report questionnaires, is related to performance [5]
Correlation analysis (Table 2) indicated that functional states were positively associated with emotional intelligence subscales, three intra-team communication factors (i.e., Acceptance, Distinctiveness, and Positive Conflict), and negatively associated with role ambiguity subscales

Summary

Introduction

A substantial amount of research attention has been focused on the study of athletes’ emotional experiences and their relationship with performance [1,2]. Only 14% of the 183 studies included in a review about athletes’ emotions and other related states [3] involved team sports athletes. In our study, we examined the relationships between some critical psychosocial factors in team sports, expected to positively influence athletes’ emotional experiences. We investigated the relationships between individuals’ emotional abilities, aspects of intra-team communication, and athletes’ performance-related psychobiosocial states. Most research investigating emotional intelligence has examined the relationship between emotional intelligence and athletic performance, with empirical evidence from studies in various sports indicating that trait emotional intelligence, typically assessed with self-report questionnaires, is related to performance [5]. Research findings suggest that athletes with high emotional intelligence levels are more inclined to better regulate their feeling states and are more likely to experience pleasant emotions prior to competition [5,6,7]

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