Anxiety Sensitivity and Stress Appraisal as Predictors of Performance Anxiety in Athletes

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the predictive roles of anxiety sensitivity and stress appraisal in performance anxiety among athletes. The study employed a correlational descriptive design with a sample of 400 athletes from Malaysia, selected based on the Morgan and Krejcie table. Participants completed the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) for performance anxiety, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3) for anxiety sensitivity, and the Stress Appraisal Measure (SAM) for stress appraisal. Data were analyzed using SPSS-27, employing Pearson correlation analyses to examine the relationships between variables and multiple linear regression analysis to assess the combined predictive effects of anxiety sensitivity and stress appraisal on performance anxiety. Pearson correlation results revealed that performance anxiety was significantly and positively correlated with anxiety sensitivity (r = .57, p < .01) and stress appraisal (r = .49, p < .01). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that anxiety sensitivity and stress appraisal together significantly predicted performance anxiety (R = .62, R² = .38, F(2, 397) = 120.16, p < .01). In the regression model, anxiety sensitivity (B = 0.72, β = .48, p < .01) and stress appraisal (B = 0.53, β = .32, p < .01) were both found to be significant positive predictors of performance anxiety. The findings demonstrate that both anxiety sensitivity and stress appraisal significantly contribute to performance anxiety among athletes, with anxiety sensitivity emerging as a slightly stronger predictor. These results highlight the importance of addressing both emotional vulnerabilities and cognitive appraisal processes in the development of psychological interventions aimed at managing performance anxiety in competitive sports contexts.