Attentional patterns involved in coping strategies in a sport context

Res Q Exerc Sport. 2012 Dec;83(4):597-602. doi: 10.1080/02701367.2012.10599886.

Abstract

We investigated the relationship between coping strategies and attentional bias after a sport competition. We administered the Ways of Coping Checklist (Paulhan, Nuissier, Quintard, Cousson, & Bourgeois, 1994) to 145 athletes immediately after they had participated in a sport competition. We also assessed attentional bias using a dot probe detection task. Results revealed that emotion-focused coping strategies led athletes to orient their attention away from threat, whereas athletes who adopted problem-focused coping strategies focused their attention toward threat. More precisely, problem-focused coping strategies are related to a facilitated detection of threat, not to disengagement difficulties. The vigilance attentional bias seems to be a compensatory strategy to cope with a stressful situation, such as sport competition.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological*
  • Adult
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Athletes / psychology*
  • Attention*
  • Competitive Behavior*
  • Emotions
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Pilot Projects
  • Soccer
  • Tennis