Date Submitted
5-30-2025
Faculty Advisor
Nichmarie Soto Bonilla
Abstract
Mental health is a key component of youth development, with anxiety and depression being common among adolescents. Participation in organized sports can promote resilience but may also introduce performance-related anxiety. Psychological skills such as self-talk have been shown to support confidence, reduce anxiety, and improve skill acquisition. This study examined the impact of a self-talk intervention on anxiety and performance in adolescent baseball and softball athletes aged 10 to 18. Using a within-subjects design, participants were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. The intervention group received psychoeducation on self-talk and applied it during batting trials. Performance was measured by batting average, and anxiety was assessed using the short-form State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results indicated that anxiety did not mediate the relationship between self-talk and performance. However, participants in the self-talk group demonstrated significantly higher batting averages compared to the control group. Anxiety levels decreased over time in both groups, suggesting task familiarity may reduce anxiety regardless of intervention. These findings support the use of self-talk to enhance performance and highlight the importance of psychological skills training in youth sports. Further research is needed to explore how self-talk and emotional regulation interact across sport contexts.
