INVESTIGATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SKILLS OF PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYERS ACCORDING TO MARITAL STATUS

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate psychological skills (imagery, peaking under pressure, commitment, coping with stress and competitive anxiety) according to marital status (being single or married) of professional soccer players. The population of the study consisted of 18 professional soccer teams and 451 professional soccer players of “South Anatolia Region” which is the 7th category of the Turkish Soccer Federation. All professional soccer teams except one, and a total of 311 professional soccer players in these teams were involved in this study. Soccer Psychological Skills Scale-16 (SPSS-16) and a questionnaire was applied to the players and related data gathered. Reliability coefficients of the SPSS-16 are 0.66 for imagery, 0.73 for performing under pressure, 0.62 for commitment, 0.68 for coping with stress, and 0.63 for competitive anxiety. One-way ANOVA and t-test revealed significant difference between commitment and marital status ((t(309)=-3.00 and p<0.003). No significant differences were found between imagery, peaking under pressure, coping with stress, competitive anxiety according to marital status (p>0.05). Statistical analysis revealed that single professional players had better commitment skill than married ones.