Resilience, aggression and risk-taking behavior among Romanian racing drivers – a preliminary study

Abstract

In the literature one can find a few studies on race car drivers. The aim of the research was to highlight the resilience level, the aggression level and risk taking behavior among Romanian race car drivers. 30 athletes participated in the study, rally drivers, athletes practicing competitive hill climb racing, drifting and circuit racing. The Brief Resilience Scale, The Romanian adaptation of the Makarowski's Stimulating and Instrumental Risk Questionnaire and The Romanian adaptation of the Makarowski's Aggression Questionnaire were used. After applying the Kruskal-Wallis H test, no significant differences were emphasized between sports disciplines (circuit, drift, rally and hill climbing), in terms of the psychological variables examined. However, when athletes were investigated according to age and taking into account the reported ability to concentrate and relax before competitions, significant differences were observed. Race car drivers (in the entire sample) over 18 years old registered a higher score for Foul play and Assertiveness, while athletes who reported a moderate level of concentration during competitions and, also, who declared that are less relaxed before contests, obtained higher values for Foul play. The findings provide valuable data regarding the resilience level, aggression and risk-taking behavior of race car drivers, according to age, sports discipline, perceived level of relaxation and concentration, which can guide specialists in the training process.