Triathlonidrottares self-efficacy upplevelser att hantera kritiska situationer

Sammanfattning: Background: Triathlon athletes often encounter various critical situations that adversely affect performance. The ability to handle these is called self-efficacy. Aim: This study aimed to identify stressors that reduce performance the most for triathlon athletes in Sweden. Method: An online survey with structured reflections and the Endurance Sport Self-Efficacy Scale (ESSES) was used. The structured reflections were analyzed in relation to the participants’ outcomes at ESSES using statistical procedures and thematic analysis. Results: A total of 10 respondents answered to the survey. Mean values of ESSES were higher at good performance. There were significant differences between the performances for variables ESSES1 (0,002); ESSES3 (0,002); ESSES5 (0,048); ESSES8 (0,030); ESSES9 (0,01); ESSES10 (0,021); och ESSES11 (0,016). Effect sizes showed that ESSES1 (d= 1,9) och ESSES3 (d= 2,8) was the most prominent variables. Analysis revealed that performance anxiety and pain were the most prominent stressors. Conclusion: Weak self-efficacy combined with performance anxiety and pain led to less good performance. The results could be used at group level as starting point to create effective self-regulation strategies to deal with these stressors.