Adaptive Social Factors and Precompetitive Anxiety in Elite Sport.

Grounded in achievement goal theory and self-determination theory, the aim of this study was to analyze the motivational determinants of precompetitive anxiety in the sports context, considering the horizontal motivational sequence: adaptive social factors (task-involving climate, autonomy support style), competence need, types of motivation (autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, amotivation), and consequences (precompetitive anxiety and self-confidence). This study was also conducted in order to analyze the mediating role of the need for competition and motivational regulations on social factors and consequences. The sample consisted of 217 athletes of both sexes engaged in elite sport, who answered a series of questionnaires to measure study variables to develop an analysis of the structural equation model.