Study on analysis the emotion regulation mechanisms responsible for improvement of sport performance in artistic gymnastics

This study aims to identify mechanisms responsible for the achievements in the artistic gymnastics performance. The main mechanisms we have considered a priori as being mechanisms of change were: anxiety for high performance sport, general self-efficacy, specific self-efficacy in gymnastics, motivation in high performance sport, emotional skills and social skills. Gymnasts from 3 national clubs attended this study. The gymnasts were distributed in 3 lots. The subjects are between 8 and 10 years. Since this study aimed to monitor certain psychological variables and one of the participating group received psychological counseling, before intervention we submitted screening questionnaires related to emotional and behavioral disorders to all groups.

All gymnasts attending the study received questionnaires related to each mechanism monitored both in the beginning and at the end of the emotional development program. During the study the gymnasts were distributed in three lots as follows: the first lot received in addition to classical training methods, an emotional training program and a complex technical training program; the second lot received the same complex technical training program as the first lot; and the third lot did not receive intervention program and the gymnasts were trained following the traditional training program. We have analyzed the results using the procedure described by Weersing, V.R. and Weisz, J.R. [19]: the Efficiency Test, the Specificity of Intervention Test, Mechanisms of Change Test; Mediation Test.