Group cohesion, conflict, achievement goals and anxiety in youth sport: differences according to the 2 x 2 model of perfectionism

Perfectionism has been shown to influence youth athletes' sport experiences in a variety of ways, however, only a limited amount of evidence has been provided through a person-centered approach rather than the study of variables alone. This cross-sectional study investigated the differences in group cohesion, conflict, achievement goals and anxiety of 177 Brazilian youth athletes (M age = 16.15 +/- 0.90 years) according to 2 x 2 model of perfectionism. The instruments were the Sport Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-2, Sports Anxiety Scale-2, Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire, Group Conflict Questionnaire and Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted through Cluster Analysis and Multivariate Analysis of Variance. The results revealed four clearly distinct perfectionism profiles: perfectionistic strivings, perfectionistic concerns, mixed perfectionism and nonperfectionist. The main findings revealed that the highest mean score in task cohesion and task orientation occurred for athletes with perfectionistic strivings in comparison to athletes with mixed and perfectionistic concerns. Athletes with perfectionistic concerns had higher scores in somatic anxiety, worry and concentration disruption when compared to the remaining profiles. Study implications include identifying athletes' perfectionism profiles prior to intervention and increasing the attention and support over those at greater risk for less desirable outcomes (e.g. conflict and anxiety). It was concluded that perfectionistic striving seems to promote more positive experiences, such as both task cohesion and orientation, whilst perfectionistic concerns seem to promote more experiences related to competitive anxiety.