Coping Strategies Used by Ballet Dancers
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Coping among ballet dancers - 1 - COPING STRATEGIES USED BY BALLET DANCERS: EFFECTS OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN COMPETITIVE TRAIT ANXIETY Gene Margaret Barrell Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Psychology (Sport & Exercise) University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia. December 2001 Coping among ballet dancers - 2 - University of Southern Queensland Faculty of Sciences Department of Psychology I, Gene Margaret Barrell acknowledge that this Master’s thesis, completed under the supervision of Associate Professor Dr. Peter Terry, results from my own work and that the authorship of the document herein is mine. Signature: …………………………………. Date: …………………………………. Coping among ballet dancers - 3 - Acknowledgments I would like to thank a number of individuals whose assistance facilitated the completion of this Master’s thesis: My supervisor Dr. Peter Terry, for providing invaluable insight, guidance, and continual encouragement. Shaaron Boughen, Lucinda Sharp, Judy Maelor-Thomas, Nanette Hassall, Judith Anderson, Angus Lugsdin, Robyn Fincham and Helen McCormack, who made it possible to study such a unique and often overlooked population. My family, whose unconditional support and encouragement over years of study have made my goals achievable. My fiancé Chris, whose ongoing support and belief in my abilities made the journey a successful one. Coping among ballet dancers - 4 - Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................................ v ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 1 ................................................................................................................................................. 8 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 8 CHAPTER 2 ................................................................................................................................................10 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................................................10 Conceptual and Theoretical Issues in Coping .......................................................................................10 Coping Resources, Styles, and Strategies .............................................................................................12 Conceptual and Theoretical Issues in Anxiety .....................................................................................16 Competitive Anxiety ............................................................................................................................17 Measurement Issues in Coping and Anxiety .........................................................................................17 Measurement of Coping .......................................................................................................................18 Measurement of Trait Anxiety .............................................................................................................19 Links Between Coping and Trait Anxiety .............................................................................................20 Stress and Stressors ...............................................................................................................................22 Stressors in Sport ..................................................................................................................................24 Stressors in Ballet .................................................................................................................................25 Summary ...............................................................................................................................................29 CHAPTER 3 ................................................................................................................................................32 METHOD .....................................................................................................................................................32 Participants ............................................................................................................................................32 Measures ................................................................................................................................................32 Coping ...................................................................................................................................................33 Trait Anxiety .........................................................................................................................................36 Procedure ...............................................................................................................................................40 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................................40 CHAPTER 4 ................................................................................................................................................42 RESULTS .....................................................................................................................................................42 Data Screening.......................................................................................................................................42 Reliabilities of Measures .......................................................................................................................42 Descriptive Statistics .............................................................................................................................44 Gender and Status Comparisons ............................................................................................................48 Effects of High and Low Trait Anxiety on Coping Responses ..............................................................54 Correlational Analysis ...........................................................................................................................58 Multiple Regression Analyses ...............................................................................................................61 CHAPTER 5 ................................................................................................................................................68 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................................68 CHAPTER 6 ................................................................................................................................................76 CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................................................................76 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................78 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................................92 APPENDIX A - QUESTIONNAIRE ..................................................................................................................93 APPENDIX B - EXPLANATORY LETTER .......................................................................................................94 APPENDIX C - CONSENT FORMS .................................................................................................................96 Coping among ballet dancers - 5 - List of Tables Table 1 Internal Consistency of the SAS and MCOPE Scales Table 2 Descriptive Statistics for the SAS Subscales Among 104 Ballet Dancers Table 3 Descriptive Statistics for the MCOPE Subscales Among 104 Ballet Dancers Table 4 Comparison of SAS Scores Between Female (n = 81) and Male (n = 23) Ballet Dancers Table 5 Comparison of SAS Scores Between Professional (n = 27) and Student Level (n = 77) Ballet Dancers Table 6 Comparison of SAS Scores Between Female and Male Professional and Student Level Ballet Dancers Table 7 Comparison of MCOPE Scores Between Female (n = 81) and Male (n = 23) Ballet Dancers Table 8 Comparison of MCOPE Scores Between Female and Male Professional and Student Level Ballet Dancers Table 9 Comparison of MCOPE Scores Between High (n = 23) and Low (n = 26) Trait Anxious Ballet Dancers Table 10 Multiple Analysis of Variance of MCOPE Scores with High and Low Trait Anxious Ballet Dancers Table 11 Pearson Correlations between the SAS and MCOPE Subscales Table 12 Standard Multiple Regression Analysis of SAS subscales on Seeking Social Support for Instrumental Reasons Coping among ballet dancers - 6 - Table 13 Standard Multiple Regression Analysis of SAS subscales on Seeking Social Support for Emotional Reasons Table 14 Standard Multiple Regression Analysis of SAS subscales on Behavioural Disengagement Table 15 Standard Multiple Regression Analysis of SAS subscales on Self-Blame Table 16 Standard Multiple Regression Analysis of SAS subscales on Planning Table 17 Standard Multiple Regression