A influência do estilo de liderança do treinador na percepção da ansiedade de jovens atletas masculinos de futebol de campo

Abstract

Leaders have a strong influence on individuals in a sports group. Sports coaches can present different leadership styles through their behavior in relation to the group of athletes. Competitive sport is highly stressful and this environment can affect the emotional health of its practitioners. Several studies point the increased of anxiety in high-performance competitive sports. There is a scarcity of studies that relate the leadership style influencing the anxiety of athletes. No studies were found in the literature correlating autocratic or democratic styles with the perception of anxiety levels in high-performance athletes. This aspect brings to the discussion an internal variable that may have been neglected. To contribute to leadership studies in sport, the present study aims to identify if there is a relationship between the leadership style of the coach and the levels of perceived anxiety of teams of young soccer players in Rio de Janeiro, measured through the instrument based on the Multidimensional Model of Leadership in Sport. The results found showed significant statistical differences regarding the association between the leadership factor and anxiety level, rejecting the hypothesis of independence between the variables: Leadership factor and Anxiety level. The athlete's anxiety level may depend on the coach's leadership factor. The choice of the motivating / inspiring and positive contingent leadership factor is associated to minimal levels of anxiety. In this research, it was indicated that soccer athletes who have psychological support in their team had a lower anxiety rate compared to those who do not.