Competitive State Anxiety in Online Competitive Gaming
Author | : Zachary Michael Zoet |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 42 |
Release | : 2017 |
Genre | : Anxiety disorders |
ISBN | : |
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Competitive anxiety is a psychological phenomenon where individuals perceive competitive situations as distressing. These feelings of apprehension or tension may cause individuals to experience symptoms consistent with an anxiety disorder (e.g., diaphoresis, palpitations, nausea, rumination). There are numerous studies examining competitive anxiety in traditional sports settings, but to date, no studies have outlined whether competitive anxiety is also experienced by persons active in competitive video games. This is despite competitive gaming communities describing an anxiety related condition known as "ladder anxiety." This study modified an existing, empirically validated measure for competitive anxiety to be able to be used in situations where persons are playing competitive video games. Four hundred and sixty participants took the modified inventory, in addition to batteries assessing trait anxiety and neuroticism for convergent validity. The results of the study indicated that there is validity to the anecdotal stories of "ladder anxiety" among online competitive gaming communities. Participants loaded strongly onto measures reflective of elevated cognitive anxiety, elevated somatic anxiety, and decreased self confidence in manners that are similar to how persons with competitive anxiety have loaded onto the measures in traditional competitive sporting situations.