Relationship Between Positive Affect, Psychological Competitive Ability and Psychological Stressors Among University Student-Swimmers

Abstract

This study sought to clarify the relationships between positive affect, psychological competitive ability and stressor awareness, and to clarify the differences due to psychological characteristics. A sample of 50 male university student-swimmers was examined using the Japanese Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), the Diagnostic Inventory of Psychological Competitive Ability for Athletes (DIPCA.3) and the Daily and Competitive Stressor Scale for University Athletes. The results revealed a significant positive correlation between SHS and DIPCA.3 scores, and a significant negative correlation between SHS and stressor scale scores. Additionally, we performed cluster analysis using standardized DIPCA.3 scores to examine psychological characteristics. Classifying participants into three clusters (CL1: good psychological condition group; CL2: low cooperation group; CL3:low willingness to compete group) revealed that CL1 participants scored highest on both the SHS and DIPCA.3, and low on the stressor scale. CL2 participants scored lowest on the SHS, second highest on the DIPCA.3 and highest on the stressor scale. CL3 participants scored second highest on the SHS, lowest on the DIPCA.3 and low on the stressor scale. These results confirmed that university student-swimmers with high positive affect had high psychological competitive ability and low stressor awareness. Furthermore, the current findings suggested that the relationship between positive affect and psychological competitive ability may be related to factors including personality inferred from psychological characteristics.