Social Appearance Anxiety as a Mediator between Self-Confidence and Self-Reported Athletic Performance
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Objective: This study examined associations among self-confidence, social appearance anxiety (SAA), and self-reported athletic performance, including the proposed mediating role of SAA.
Methods and Materials: A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted among 140 athletes recruited through purposive sampling across Sumatra, Indonesia. Participants had at least one year of formal training and provincial-level competitive experience. Data were collected using adapted measures of self-confidence, SAA, and subjective athletic performance. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was performed using SmartPLS 4.
Findings: Self-confidence was negatively associated with SAA (β = −.576, p < .001, 95% CI [−.677, −.453]) and positively associated with self-reported athletic performance (β = .226, p = .029, 95% CI [.024, .430]). The association between SAA and performance was nonsignificant (β = .143, p = .164, 95% CI [−.059, .347]). The indirect association between self-confidence and performance through SAA was also nonsignificant (β = −.082, p = .168, 95% CI [−.200, .035]), indicating no statistical support for mediation. The model explained 33.2% of the variance in SAA (R² = .332) but only 3.4% in self-reported performance (R² = .034).
Conclusion: Higher self-confidence was associated with lower social appearance anxiety and more favorable perceived athletic performance. However, SAA did not significantly mediate this association. The cross-sectional design and limited explained variance warrant cautious interpretation.
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