Comparative study on pre-competition mood in Canadian and Spanish university students

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to examine athletes’ mood at Universidad de Vigo (Spain), and at Prince Edward Island University (Canada), with regards with sports performance before competition. 104 students from both universities took part in the study. To measure athletes’ mood, the Profile of Mood States (POMS) scale was used. The results show that pre-competition mood distribution in athletes from both universities conform to an iceberg-type profile, as it is usually found in this kind of studies. Mood states are similar among all students, except for the fatigue factor, higher in Canadian students. Knowledge of pre-competition mood states is an essential tool to improve performance in athletes.