نقش جهت‌گیری مقایسه اجتماعی، خودکارآمدی و اضطراب رقابتی در بهبود عملکرد ورزشی: یک مدل روانشناختی

هدف: این پژوهش با هدف بررسی تاثیر جهت‌گیری مقایسة اجتماعی بر عملکرد ورزشی با توجه به نقش میانجی خودکارآمدی و اضطراب رقابتی در ورزشکاران انجام شد. رویکرد اصلی این پژوهش مبتنی بر بررسی مدلی مفهومی بود که در آن نقش مستقیم و غیرمستقیم متغیرهای روان‌شناختی بر عملکرد ورزشی بررسی شد. مواد و روش ها: روش پژوهش توصیفی-همبستگی بوده و جامعة آماری شامل 214 دانشجوی ورزشکار (123 مرد و 91 زن) شرکت‌کننده در شانزدهمین المپیاد فرهنگی-ورزشی دانشجویان کشور بود. ابزارهای گردآوری اطلاعات شامل پرسشنامه‌های استاندارد جهت‌گیری مقایسة اجتماعی، خودکارآمدی عمومی، اضطراب رقابتی و عملکرد ورزشی بودند. داده‌ها با استفاده از مدل‌سازی معادلات ساختاری و آزمون سوبل تحلیل شدند.یافته ها: نتایج نشان داد که جهت‌گیری مقایسة اجتماعی تاثیر مستقیم و غیرمستقیم معناداری بر عملکرد ورزشی دارد. نقش میانجی خودکارآمدی قوی‌تر از نقش اضطراب رقابتی بود؛ به این صورت که خودکارآمدی تاثیر مثبت و اضطراب رقابتی تاثیر منفی بر عملکرد ورزشی داشتند. همچنین، جهت‌گیری مقایسة اجتماعی به شکل مثبتی بر خودکارآمدی و به شکل منفی بر اضطراب رقابتی تاثیرگذار بود. نتیجه گیری: این یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد که جهت‌گیری مقایسة اجتماعی می‌تواند ابزار مفیدی برای بهبود عملکرد ورزشی از طریق تقویت خودکارآمدی و کاهش اثرات منفی اضطراب رقابتی باشد. این پژوهش بر اهمیت مداخلات روان‌شناختی در مدیریت عوامل مرتبط با عملکرد ورزشی تاکید دارد. پیشنهاد می‌شود که مربیان و روانشناسان ورزشی از راهبردهایی برای تقویت خودکارآمدی و کاهش اضطراب رقابتی استفاده کنند. همچنین انجام پژوهش‌های طولی برای بررسی پایداری روابط میان متغیرها در سایر گروه‌های سنی و سطوح ورزشی توصیه می‌شود.

the role of social comparison orientation, self-efficacy, and competitive anxiety in enhancing athletic performance: a psychological model

background and purposesports performance, especially at competitive levels, is influenced by a dynamic combination of physical capabilities and psychological factors. among the psychological variables, social comparison orientation (sco), self-efficacy, and competitive anxiety have been identified as critical elements shaping athletic outcomes.sco refers to the degree to which individuals evaluate themselves in relation to others. this process, as proposed by festinger (1954), plays a pivotal role in motivation, affective responses, and behavioral choices. within sports, athletes frequently engage in social comparisons, either upward (with superior peers), downward (with inferior peers), or lateral (with similar peers), which can have both motivating and debilitating effects. self-efficacy, defined by bandura (1997) as an individual’s belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations, influences athletes' resilience, goal setting, and persistence. high self-efficacy is generally associated with better performance outcomes. on the other hand, competitive anxiety specific form of anxiety experienced before or during athletic competition—can impair performance by disrupting concentration, increasing muscle tension, and provoking self-doubt.while prior studies have examined pairwise relationships among these variables, limited research has offered a comprehensive model elucidating how sco impacts athletic performance through the mediating roles of self-efficacy and competitive anxiety.materials and methodsthe study adopted a descriptive-correlational design based on structural equation modeling (sem). the population included over 3,500 university student-athletes who participated in the 16th national student sports olympiad in summer 2024, hosted by isfahan university and isfahan university of technology. using a convenience sampling method, 214 athletes (123 males and 91 females) from five individual sports (taekwondo, badminton, table tennis, swimming, and karate) were selected. the average age was 21.87±3.42 years. to assess the study variables, the following instruments were used:1. social comparison orientation: measured using the sco scale developed by gibbons and buunk (1999), consisting of 11 items rated on a 5-point likert scale.2. self-efficacy: assessed with the general self-efficacy scale (gses) by sherer and adams (1982), comprising 17 items measuring beliefs in overcoming challenges. 3. competitive anxiety: evaluated through the sport competition anxiety test (scat) by martens (1977), which includes 15 items distinguishing between cognitive and somatic anxiety.4. athletic performance: measured with a 5-item scale developed by charbonneau et al. (2001), capturing athletes’ perceptions of their competitive performance.the questionnaires demonstrated high reliability (cronbach’s α > 0.80). data were collected in-person during non-competitive periods of the olympiad and analyzed using spss version 24 and amos version 26. analytical methods included descriptive statistics, pearson correlation coefficients, sem, and the sobel test for mediating effects. assumptions of normality were verified using the kolmogorov–smirnov test.findingsthe descriptive analysis revealed notable differences in psychological profiles across sports disciplines. swimming athletes had the highest mean performance scores, while karate athletes exhibited the highest levels of competitive anxiety. taekwondo athletes demonstrated the highest self-efficacy levels.correlation analysis using pearson’s r showed statistically significant relationships among all variables across sports. sco was positively correlated with both self-efficacy and sports performance in all groups. for example, the correlation between sco and performance ranged from r = 0.384 to r= 0.534 depending on the sport. competitive anxiety consistently exhibited a negative relationship with performance, with coefficients ranging from r= -0.226 to r= -0.361.the structural equation model provided a good fit for the data (cmin/df = 3.75, rmsea = 0.075, gfi = 0.90, cfi = 0.90). the model confirmed that sco directly predicted sports performance (β = 0.32, p < 0.001), and also influenced it indirectly through self-efficacy (β = 0.389, p < 0.001) and competitive anxiety (β = 0.14, p < 0.01). self-efficacy had a strong positive effect on performance (β = 0.479, p < 0.001), while competitive anxiety had a negative effect (β = -0.372, p < 0.001).the sobel test confirmed both mediating roles. self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between sco and performance (z= 5.004, p < 0.001), and competitive anxiety also partially mediated this relationship negatively (z = 3.256, p < 0.001). these results validate the conceptual model proposed in the study.conclusionthe results revealed significant positive correlations between sco and self-efficacy, sco and performance and self-efficacy and performance. meanwhile, competitive anxiety negatively correlated with both self-efficacy and performance. the sem analysis supported the hypothesized structural model. sco had a direct positive effect on performance while also influencing performance indirectly through two mediators. specifically, self-efficacy was found to mediate the relationship between sco and performance positively, as validated by the sobel test (z= 5.004, p < 0.001). likewise, competitive anxiety served as a significant negative mediator (z= 3.256, p < 0.001), underscoring its capacity to undermine performance. these findings emphasize that sco's impact is not monolithic—it may inspire athletes through enhanced confidence or hinder them via increased anxiety.furthermore, the analysis demonstrated that sports type influenced the psychological profile of athletes. for instance, swimmers exhibited the highest mean performance and competitive anxiety, while karate athletes had the highest anxiety levels. such variability underscores the importance of sport-specific psychological interventions.these findings offer practical implications for coaches, sports psychologists, and training programs. enhancing athletes' self-efficacy while mitigating competitive anxiety through targeted interventions (e.g., imagery training, stress management) could foster more consistent and optimal performance outcomes. importantly, not all social comparisons are detrimental; when guided by realistic standards and positive reinforcement, upward comparisons can be motivating rather than discouraging.future studies are encouraged to investigate longitudinal relationships among these variables. cross-cultural examinations may also yield insights into how cultural expectations shape sco and its psychological consequences. finally, exploring team sports and gender-specific differences may enrich the generalizability and application of these findings.funding this study did not receive financial support from any funding agency or organization.