Abstract

OLMEDILLA, A; CANOVAS, M; OLMEDILLA-CABALLERO, B  and  ORTEGA, E. Psychological characteristics relevant to sports performance: gender differences in youth soccer. CPD [online]. 2021, vol.21, n.2, pp.127-137.  Epub May 16, 2022. ISSN 1989-5879.

The study of psychological factors related to sports performance has an important track record in the scientific literature. Knowing if there are differences between male and female athletes, what they are, and in what aspects they manifest is an issue that could help improve the work of coaches and sports technicians. The aim of this study is to determine if there are gender differences in the psychological profile of youth soccer players related to sports performance. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. The sample under study was formed by a total of 329 youth soccer players (46.8% male and 53,2% female), with an average age of 17.02 (± 1.50) years. The Psychological Characteristics Questionnaire Related to Sports Performance (CPRD) was used to evaluate psychological characteristics. The results of this study indicate that there are statistically significant differences between male and female in stress control (CE), influence of performance evaluation (IER) and in team cohesion (CH), with an effect size of .51, .31 and .40 respectively. The male players show higher scores than the female players in CE, that is, they better manage the stress of the competition, and in IER, that is, the male players manage better than the female players the impact of evaluating their performance, the one that others do (coaches, partners, fathers / mothers, etc.) and the one that makes itself. However, female players have better CH scores, that is, they show a greater tendency to work in groups and strengthen the team.

Keywords : Psychological profile; youth soccer; sport performance; gender differences; CPRD.

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