Peculiarities of the Relationships between Anxiety, Psychological Skills, and Injuries in Cuban Athletes

Abstract

Background: In the present research, the general and specific relationships of anxiety and psychological skills with the history of injuries in a heterogeneous population of Cuban high-performance athletes are analyzed. Methods: Through a correlational and cross-sectional study, the Villa Clara basketball, baseball, soccer, and softball preselection’s were studied between 2019 and 2022. To obtain data on injuries, a specific questionnaire was applied. The state of the psychological variables was determined by means of the Competition State Anxiety Inventory and the Sports Execution Psychological Inventory. Data were analyzed using empirical frequency distribution, descriptive statistics, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and Kendall's Tau_b nonparametric correlation coefficient. Results and Discussion: High anxiety and psychological skills to compete prevailed. Most of the athletes had been injured with remarkable frequency, severity and in competitions. Lower motivational level, attention and emotional control are related to the occurrence of injuries. The most serious injuries are related to high levels of anxiety, less control of attention and negative coping, while the occurrence in competition is related to less control of attitude. The relationships between variables differ between the sports analyzed. Conclusion: A lower degree of psychological preparation makes the athlete vulnerable to injury, however, the psychological risk factors are established specifically in each sport. These differences must be considered for the design and implementation of injury prevention.