The effect of cognitive behavioral group therapy on social anxiety in soccer players

Paper ID : 1391-SPORTCONGRESS (R1)

Authors

Ali Aliabadi *1, Ali Reza Bahrami2 1Student 2هئیت علمی

Abstract

Introduction: Soccer is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who use their feet almost exclusively to move a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. Social anxiety is a persistent fear of social situations in which the individual is concerned about being negatively evaluated by others, and this anxiety can interfere with academic, athletic, occupational, and social performance (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). Affected individuals typically avoid interacting or speaking in public. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on challenging and changing cognitive distortions and their associated behaviors to improve emotional regulation and develop personal coping strategies that target current problems (Beck, 2011). The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral group therapy on social anxiety in soccer players. Methods: Random sampling was carried out from the statistical population of male football players in Tehran. The research design is semi-experimental, pre-test, post-test with a control group, and out of 30 people, 15 people were selected in the experimental group and 15 people in the control group using purposive sampling according to Morgan's table. In the inferential statistics section, the collected information was entered into the SPSS-22 program and univariate covariance was used to analyze the data. Results: The results of univariate covariance showed that cognitive behavioral group therapy had a significant effect on social anxiety in soccer players (P<0.05). Conclusion: It is concluded that cognitive behavioral group therapy can be used to control social anxiety in soccer players

Keywords

Cognitive behavioral group therapy, social anxiety, football

Status: Abstract Accepted (Poster Presentation)