Stress, appraisal, and coping revisited: Examining the antecedents of competitive state anxiety with endurance athletes

This exploratory investigation examined the value of using Lazarus' (1991; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) stress model, (i.e., primary appraisal, secondary appraisal, and perceived coping) to identify the antecedents of cognitive a nd somatic state anxiety for endurance athletes. This study also assessed w hether endurance athletes with qualitatively similar levels of cognitive an d somatic anxiety demonstrate differential antecedent profiles. Participant s were 175 triathletes, 70 distance runners, and 70 cyclists who completed stress-related questionnaires 1-2 days prior to competition and the CSAI-2 approximately one hour before competing. Results revealed that all three co mponents of Lazarus' stress model predicted both cognitive and somatic stat e anxiety better than did individual model components. Moreover, perceived threat accounted for a greater percentage of variance in cognitive and soma tic anxiety than did perceived control or coping resources. Cluster analyse s revealed distinct antecedent profiles for high, moderate, low, and "repre ssed" anxious endurance athletes, suggesting that multiple antecedent profi les may exist for highly anxious athletes in endurance sports.