Abstract
In recent years there has been a growing trend towards early specialization in youth sport (Feeley et al., 2016). Athletes who specialize early often invest more heavily from a younger age, thus it has been suggested they may feel greater pressures to perform, and have higher anxiety levels (Baker et al., 2009). Personality has also been linked to anxiety (e.g. Malouff, Thorstiensson & Schutte, 2004), but no research has focused specifically on the relationship between anxiety, personality, and sport. Using the Developmental Model of Sport Participation (DMSP; Côté & Fraser -Thomas, 2016) as a guiding framework, this study examined the relationship between competitive anxiety and personality, in relation to sport trajectory (i.e., early specializer versus sampler). Seventy-seven male hockey players aged 11-12 completed tools to measure competitive anxiety and personality, while their parents completed a screening tool on boys' sport development history. Hierarchal regression analyses revealed an interaction between agreeableness and early specialization, indicating that samplers who had low agreeableness reported significantly higher levels of competitive state anxiety. Findings provide preliminary information about who early specialization may be best suited for; however, further research in different sport contexts is needed to offer insight to programmers, parents, and youths regarding decisions about children's sport pathways.
