Mood Profiling of International Athletes in Argentina

Dr. Patricia Wightman MDNational Center of High Performance Athletics (CeNARD) Buenos Aires Argentina

Co-authors

Dr. Peter Terry

Nellie GiscafreCentro Nacional de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo (CeNARD)

Method

Sample

• Total = 1,100 athletes from CENARD

• Sex: male = 63.2%, female = 36.8%

• Ages: range = 11-60 yr, M = 19.6 ± 5.3 yr.

• Range of sports (N = 18) tennis = 224, basketball = 217, kayak = 148,

rowing = 146, hockey = 90, handball = 57, fencing = 41, shooting = 36, volleyball = 30, sailing = 27, others = 84

Procedure

• Spanish version of POMS used, based on

Perez % Mari (1991)• 65 items, six subscales (tension, depression,

anger, vigor, fatigue, confusion)• Past week response set used• Data collected over a 15-year period (1994-

2009) • Data collected in consulting office, training

venue or competition venue

Analyses

• Comparison of mood responses by age, gender and type of sport

• Tables of normative data specific to Argentine athletes

• Comparison of Argentine norms with previous norms

• Table for interpretation of mood profiles• Relationships between mood profiles and

performance

Results

Table 1. Relationships between mood responses and age among Argentine international athletes (N = 1,100)

Age

r p

Tension .001 N.S.

Depression -.02 N.S.

Anger .07 N.S.

Vigor .008 N.S.

Fatigue .03 N.S.

Confusion -.01 N.S.

N.S. = not significant

Table 2. MANOVA of POMS scores by gender among Argentine international athletes (N = 1,100)

Male (n = 695) Female (n = 405)

M SD M SD F(1,1098)

Tension 11.7 5.5 10.4 5.5 15.5*

Depression 5.7 6.2 6.4 7.0 3.3

Anger 9.4 6.5 9.6 6.5 0.1

Vigor 19.0 4.6 18.9 5.2 0.4

Fatigue 6.1 4.4 5.9 4.8 0.9

Confusion 6.3 4.0 6.4 4.1 0.1

* p < .001, d = .24 Wilks’ = .97, p < .001, eta-squared = .03

Table 3. MANOVA of POMS scores by type of sport among Argentine international athletes (N = 1,100)

Team (n = 555) Individual (n = 545)

M SD M SD F(1,1098)

Tension 11.9 5.7 10.6 5.3 15.3*

Depression 5.9 6.3 6.0 6.7 0.1

Anger 9.5 6.6 9.5 6.4 0.1

Vigor 18.9 4.9 19.0 4.8 0.3

Fatigue 6.6 4.8 5.4 4.2 20.0*

Confusion 6.3 4.2 6.4 3.8 0.2

* p < .001, d = .24 Wilks’ = .96, p < .001, eta-squared = .04

Summary

• No relationship between mood responses and age

• Male athletes report higher tension than female athletes

• Team athletes report higher tension and fatigue than individual athletes

Figure 1. Mean POMS profile for Argentine international athletes (N = 1,100) plotted against athlete norms (N = 2,086; Terry & Lane,

2000) and student norms (N = 856; McNair et al, 1992)

30

40

50

60

70

TEN DEP ANG VIG FAT CON

Athlete norms

Student norms

Table 4. Comparison of POMS scores between Argentine international athletes and athlete norms (Terry & Lane, 2000)

Argentina (N = 1,100) Athlete norms (N = 2,086)

M SD M SD d

Tension 11.2 5.5 7.0 6.3 .67*

Depression 6.0 6.5 5.2 7.7 .10*

Anger 9.5 6.5 6.3 7.2 .44*

Vigor 19.0 4.9 17.2 6.6 .27*

Fatigue 6.0 4.6 6.6 5.8 .10*

Confusion 6.4 4.0 5.4 4.5 .22*

* p < .001

Summary

• Argentine athletes typically report iceberg profiles compared to student norms (McNair et al., 1992)

• Argentine athletes report higher tension, depression, anger, vigor and confusion, and lower fatigue than published athlete norms (Terry & Lane, 2000)

Mood and Performance

The Double Iceberg

Athlete Screening

Green, Amber

and Red

Light POMS

Table 5. Interpretation of POMS scores among Argentine international athletes

ANG CON DEP FAT TEN VIG

0-7 0-5 0-3 0-4 0-10 20+

8-23 6-14 4-19 5-14 11-21 10-19

24+ 15+ 20+ 15+ 22+ 0-9

Green = 0-50%; Amber = 51-95%; Red = 96-100% (Vig: Green = 51-100%; Amber = 5-50%; Red =0-4%)

Conclusions

• Argentine norms differ from existing norms• Mood responses among Argentine international

athletes vary by gender and type of sport but are unrelated to age

• Mood profiles can be dichotomised into green, amber and red categories for screening purposes

• Double iceberg profiles are associated with successful performance for many athletes

Thank you for your attention

Gracias AASP