Key result
Pre-competition stress is associated with reduced peripheral vision in athletes regardless of baseline hardiness levels.
Why the study?
Previous research on perceptual deficits related to stress and injury was limited to laboratory-induced stress conditions, restricting generalizability to real-life stress situations.
Observational
Pre-competition stress may impair peripheral vision in athletes; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation before clinical relevance.
Previous research has only examined perceptual deficits that are hypothesized in a model of stress and injury under laboratory-induced stress conditions. The generalizability of findings from such induced-stress conditions is limited beyond the laboratory. The current research examined the influence of life-event stress and hardiness on peripheral narrowing in a real-life stress situation. Athletes completed life-stress and hardiness questionnaires, along with measures of state anxiety and peripheral vision. The stress condition was obtained by assessing the athletes within 2 hours of a competition. The real-life stress condition had a larger effect on state anxiety and peripheral narrowing than the laboratory-induced situations used in previous research, with effect sizes twice and three times as large as those reported in the literature. All athletes experienced significant reductions in peripheral vision prior to competition, regardless of life-event stress or hardiness levels.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Rogers et al. (2003) reported an observational. Real-life stress situation (pre-competition) vs. Laboratory-induced stress situations (historical) was evaluated on Peripheral narrowing and state anxiety. A real-life stress situation prior to competition significantly reduced peripheral vision in all athletes, regardless of life-event stress or hardiness levels.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: