Coping with anxiety as a means for maintaining viability in skilled athletes

Aim. The paper aims to identify the features of coping with competition-related anxiety among female athletes. Materials and methods. The study involved 113 female students involved in sport. All female athletes were divided into 2 groups depending on the type of sport (team sport, n = 34; individual sport, n = 79). The athletic coping skills inventory (ACSI-28) and competitive state anxiety inventory-2 (CSAI-2) were used for the purpose of the study. The results obtained were presented as charts with percentage distribution data. Results. Competition-related anxiety was mostly typical of individual sport athletes. Team sport athletes were relatively good at using such coping skills as ‘coachability’ and ‘peaking under pressure’. Conclusion. The results obtained will contribute to improving psychological support for students involved in sport.