Descriptive-demographic analysis of determining psychological characteristics in developing elite sports talent (9-13 years old)
Subject Areas :
Narjes Razavi
1
,
rokhsareh badami
2
*
,
وحید رفیعی
3
,
Hamid Zahedi
4
1 - PhD Student in Motor Behavior, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
2 -
3 - 2- گروه تربیت بدنی و علوم ورزشی، واحد مرودشت، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، مرودشت، ایران
4 - Assistant Professor of Motor Behavior, Department of Sports Sciences and Sports Medicine Research Center, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.
Keywords: Descriptive-demographic , psychological characteristics, developing elite, sports talent,
Abstract :
Introduction: The cultivation of athletic excellence during early adolescence (ages 9-13) necessitates systematic examination of formative psychological determinants. This investigation employed a descriptive-demographic approach to Identify critical psychological characteristics influencing talent development Examine demographic variations across gender, sport type, and competitive experience& Establish baseline data for targeted psychological interventions.
research methodology: The study population consisted of 206 female (67.5%) and 99 male (32.5%) athletes aged 9-13 years participating in both individual and team sports. Participants completed the Persian version of the Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence Questionnaire for Children (PCDEQ-C) ; (Lauris et al., 2021),which assesses five key dimensions: Performance Worries ،Social Support Seeking and Utilization ،Imagery and Active Preparation، Adverse Response to Failure ،Self-Directed Control and Management.The instrument demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach's α > 0.70 for all subscales) and acceptable inter-scale correlations (ranging from 0.39 to 0.56, all p < 0.001). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) in SPSS version 26.
Findings: The analysis revealed significant gender differences in psychological characteristics (F[5,299] = 2.5, p = 0.03). Sports experience had a significant influence on psychological variables (F[15,897] = 2.84, p = 0.001). However, no statistically significant effects were found for sport type (F[5,299] = 0.57, p = 0.723), age (F[5,299] = 0.875, p = 0.498), or competition level (F[10,598] = 0.704, p = 0.719).
Conclusion: The findings suggest that sustained training in high-performance environments may shape the psychological skills of adolescent elite athletes. These results highlight the importance of developing targeted psychological interventions and stress management programs for this population. Future studies should investigate the influence of environmental and educational factors on the psychological development of athletic talents.
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