Research summary · Sport psychology
Evaluation pressure and anxiety in women's collegiate basketball
A study examines how evaluation pressure, self-efficacy, mental toughness and experience combine in patterns associated with performance anxiety.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Cross-sectional study with structural and configurational analyses
- Journal
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Population / context
- Chinese Division II female collegiate basketball players
What the publication reports
Data from 143 female collegiate athletes were analysed using structural equation modelling and fuzzy-set comparative analysis. Fear of negative evaluation was associated with greater anxiety and lower self-efficacy. No single measured condition was necessary for high anxiety, and multiple combinations were associated with it.
Limits and interpretation
Cross-sectional statistical pathways do not establish causal mechanisms or the effectiveness of psychological interventions. The specific league, self-report measures and modest sample limit generalisation and individual prediction.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Configurational and predictive mechanisms of performance anxiety in female collegiate athletes: the synergistic roles of evaluative pressure, self-efficacy, and mental toughness
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42818652DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1898041Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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