Abstract
This study aims to investigate whether simple and convenient progressive relaxation training (PRT) is effective in enhancing collegiate student athletes’ mental health and sports performance. An experimental group of 14 (6 female) and a control group of 10 (5 female) collegiate student athletes were recruited from among track and field athletes who were preparing for provincial competition. The experimental group was exposed to a PRT intervention in 30-min sessions conducted twice per week for a duration of one month. At baseline, the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Scale for Chinese (EPQ-RSC) were completed, while only the CSAI-2 was reassessed at one, two, and three weeks after initiation of the intervention. Additionally, within half a day after completing all one’s individual competition events, the CSAI-2 was again assessed in the two groups recalling their memory of their precompetition state anxiety. Then, the differences in the three dimensions of the CSAI-2 between the two groups at the five time points introduced above were compared. This study also explored whether PRT affected sports performance, defined by the athletes reaching their best records or not, by logistic regressive analysis. This study found significant between-group differences in the self-confidence dimension score at the second and third time points. Through logistic regression analysis, a positive effect of PRT was found for the enhancement of sports performance. In sum, PRT showed positive effects on precompetition state self-confidence and enhanced sports performance among collegiate student athletes.
Highlights
Mental health has been increasingly emphasized among athletes (Reardon et al, 2019; Rice et al, 2019, 2016)
progressive relaxation training (PRT) on Precompetition Anxiety and Sports Performance symptoms, including deteriorated mental health status and highpressure conditions, in 317 athletes participating in 11 sports three months before the 2016 summer Olympic Games; their findings revealed that anxiety and depression status were the main factors resulting in illness, as all participants reported at least one symptom in the month before the investigation
Through applying the threefactor Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Scale for Chinese (EPQ-RSC), this study found that there was no significant difference between the two groups in different dimensions of personality, which provided a basis for the follow-up study examining the effect of the intervention
Summary
Mental health (especially depression and anxiety) has been increasingly emphasized among athletes (Reardon et al, 2019; Rice et al, 2019, 2016). Given its important impact on sports performance, investigations have focused on precompetition anxiety (Gould et al, 1987; Jokela and Hanin, 1999; Fu, 2000; Woodman and Hardy, 2003; Tsopani et al, 2011; De Pero et al, 2013; Zenebe et al, 2016; Munoz et al, 2017; Souza et al, 2019). The relaxation of the combined parts of the upper limbs occurs first, and all parts of the lower limbs are relaxed together to complete the whole training process
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