Understanding sport anxiety among competitive athletes: the role of shame, fear of self-compassion and self-criticism

Self-compassion interventions have shown positive results in sporting contexts (e.g., lower levels of shame, self-criticism, and sport anxiety), yet athletes seem to be particularly resistant to embracing this attitude. The current study aimed to explore the association between athletes' shame and anxiety through fear of self-compassion and self-criticism. Further, this study sought to explore differences in the mentioned variables regarding athletes' sex and competitive level. A self-report questionnaire was conducted including athletes' versions of the scales to assess shame, fear of self-compassion, self-criticism, and sport anxiety. The sample comprised of 258 Portuguese adult athletes (53.3% females; 47.7% males), with a mean age of 21.65 (SD = 3.49), currently competing in different sports and at varying levels. Results suggested that, when compared to males, female athletes presented higher levels of sport-specific shame, self-criticism, and anxiety, but no significant differences were found in fear of self-compassion. Also, no significant differences in the study variables were found regarding competitive level. A path analysis showed that, when controlling for the effect of age and years of practice, athletes' shame had a direct effect on sport anxiety severity, and an indirect effect through increased fear of self-compassion and higher levels of self-criticism. Results confirmed the plausibility of the tested model, which accounted for 48% of sport anxiety's variance. The results highlighted the importance of further understanding the role of fear of self-compassion on athletes' mental health, as well as differences between male and female athletes in competitive sport settings.