Abstract
There is nothing wrong with a sports organization like a sport club aiming to win. However, in recent years, burnout and many other psychological issues have started happening more frequently in the world of sports due to a too strong emphasis on winning and the pressure it creates. This study aimed to investigate the psychological challenges of a rugby team at University using Diagnostic Inventory of Psychological Competitive Ability for Athletes (DIPCA.3). In this study, DIPCA.3 was used on 68 members of a rugby club at university A to clarify psychological issues among the athletes. Furthermore, I also discussed improvement measures. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) using grade and squad as independent variables revealed significant differences in the multiple comparison test between these factors. Subsequent univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that a significant difference was observed solely in the main effect of grade concerning confidence. Multiple comparisons found that significant difference was observed between years 1 and 3, with the score decreasing each year. Moreover, the results of an exploratory factor analysis led to name the first factor as the “decisive factor” and the second as the “mental power factor.” Furthermore, the results of a two-factor ANOVA using factor score as the dependent variable revealed a significant tendency in the main effects of squad for the “decisive factor,” with the top team having a higher score. A potentially effective improvement plan would be to increase the number of games for the bottom team, which comprised more than half of the third-year students with low confidence scores, with the aim of allowing them to accumulate more experience of success. Moreover, this study also discussed the possibility of improving the decisive factor through games.
