Mood and Performance Anxiety in High School Basketball Players: A Pilot Study

Participation in competitive sport may impact psychological measures, such as mood and performance anxiety, which in turn may impact enjoyment, adherence, continued participation, and so on. This study assessed the feasibility – in terms of process, resources, management, and potential scientific value– of measuring the effect of varying competitive challenges upon the mood and performance anxiety measures of high school athletes. The participants (n=12) consisted of the boys’ varsity basketball team at a high school in a rural Midwestern community. Participants completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS) to assess mood and the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) to assess performance anxiety, respectively. Survey administration occurred at baseline and prior to games designated as non-conference, conference, and state tournament. A-priori feasibility measures were achieved in this prospective design. Significant correlations on the subscale measures were found on the POMS and SAS-2 administered before the four conditions in this study; Chronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.54–0.94 across conditions for POMS subscales, and Chronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.73–0.97 across all conditions for SAS-2 subscales, respectively. Significant differences were found across conditions in the POMS subscale confusion [F(3,33) = 5.71, p = 0.01] and in the SAS-2 subscale worry [F(3,33) = 6.13, p=0.01]. These preliminary findings suggest that the competitive conditions in this study significantly affected some measures of mood and performance anxiety in high school basketball players. These findings warrant further investigation, as well as suggest coaches could gather such information from their players, ultimately aiding in player development and team performance.