The Correlation Between Anxiety and Self-Confidance in Junior Football Athletes

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between the level of anxiety and self-confidence in junior football athletes from SSB Putra Garuda Pagergunung. The type of research used was quantitative with a survey method. The research subjects were 30 athletes aged 13–17 years selected through purposive sampling. The instruments used included the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) to measure anxiety and the Trait Sport Confidence Inventory (TSCI) to measure self-confidence. Data were analyzed using the Spearman's rho correlation test after passing prerequisite tests for normality and linearity. The results showed that both variables were normally distributed, with a linearity test significance value of 0.306 (>0.05), indicating that the relationship between the two was not linearly significant. The Spearman's rho correlation test yielded a coefficient of −0.174 with a significance of 0.358 (>0.05), which means there is a very weak and non-significant negative relationship between anxiety and self-confidence. This result indicates that an increase in anxiety does not significantly affect the decrease in the athletes' self-confidence. Other factors such as match experience, coach support, and intrinsic motivation are suspected to play a greater role in forming athlete self-confidence. This research affirms the importance of comprehensive mental coaching, not just focusing on anxiety management, but also on strengthening other psychological aspects to improve junior athlete performance.