Background/Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of psychological skill training (PST) of goal setting and mental imagery on anxiety levels among Division 1 female soccer athletes.
Method: Participants (N=21) included members of a Division 1 female soccer team; age ranged from 17-22 years old. Participants completed the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2), Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT), and Sources of Sport-Confidence Questionnaire (SSCQ) before pre-selected home and away conference and non-conference games. Athletes met with a sport psychology consultant throughout the season; PST focused on goal setting and mental imagery.
Analysis/Results: Repeated measures ANOVA were run on three factors of CSAI-2 and SCAT to examine effectiveness of PST on anxiety levels. Correlation analyses between the 9 sources of sport confidence and confidence factor of the CSAI-2 examined impacts of confidence as a result of the PST. Trait anxiety levels decreased over the course of the season, F=12.63, p<.05. State anxiety levels, both cognitive (F=12.631, p<.05) and somatic (F=3.272, p<.05) decreased over the course of the season. Significant relationships were found among Physical Self-Preparation and Environmental Comfort when compared to the CSAI-2 Confidence factor at the time of the non-conference home and away games.
Conclusions: The current study demonstrated that PST focusing on mental imagery and goal setting helped lower state and trait anxiety, as well as cognitive and somatic levels in Division 1 female soccer athletes. Future studies should include additional PST interventions to lower anxiety levels and improve overall confidence throughout the season.