Psychological distress related to psychological skills associated with sports performance in young athletes

LORENZON, J. I.; GONZÁLEZ INSUA, F.; ACEIRO, A.; DELFINO, G.

Ciencias Psicológicas

Universidad Católica de Uruguay

Lugar: Montevideo; Año: 2022 vol. 16 p. 1 - 13

Different psychological skills are associated with sports performance, but it is not clear how these interact with the psychological distress that athletes may suffer. This study analyzed the relationship between the psychological skills associated with sports performance (Características Psicológicas relacionadas con el Rendimiento Deportivo, CPRD questionnaire) and the Kessler scale of psychological distress (K-10). The sample consisted of a total of 103 young athletes from Buenos Aires (48.5% men; M=20.05; SD=1.41). 22.3% of the participants suffer from psychological distress. Men presented higher scores in terms of stress control and influence of the evaluation on performance. The subjects who practiced group sports presented higher scores in terms of stress control and team cohesion. A negative relationship was found between psychological distress and stress control and the influence of evaluation on performance. The results show how the athletes? psychological profiles are related to the experience of distress and contribute to the idea that the development of psychological skills in sport is not only associated with better performance, but also with greater well-being, a key aspect at the time of designing interventions.