DYSPHORIA, LINKING, AND PRE-COMPETITIVE ANXIETY IN NATIONAL LEVEL ATHLETES OF PAKISTAN

Some individuals set abstract, higher-order goals (e.g, happiness) conditionally upon the achievement of specific lowerorder goals (e.g, winning gold medal in national championship etc). This process is known as linking or Conditional Goal Setting (Street, 2000). This unhealthy style of goal setting has been directly related to increase in everyday depressive symptoms (dysphoria). Although the relationship between anxiety and depression is well established, little is known about the interaction between linking, anxiety, and depression. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between general linking, everyday depressive symptoms, and state anxiety in the athletes participating in the 38th National Athletics Championships held at Army Stadium, Rawalpindi, Pakistan during March, 2003. Sports Competitive Anxiety Test (SCAT) was used as a tool for data collection. The sample of the study was “81” Athletes including, six each from 100m, 200m, 400m, 110m (H), 400m (H), Long Jump, Shot Put, Javelin and Discuss, while “10” from 4x 100m, “12” from 4x400m and “5” from High Jump. The SCAT comprised of the “15” related items. All the athletes were requested to respond to each item of the SCAT. The Regression analysis showed that linking was related to increased anxiety and depressive symptoms. The results suggested that the relationship between linking and depression was also mediated by somatic anxiety.