The effect of attention on wellbeing in combat sport athletes: the mediating role of competitive anxiety

IntroductionThis study aimed to examine whether the effect of attentional processes on psychological well-being in combat sport athletes operates directly or indirectly through competitive anxiety within an integrated model.MethodsA total of 418 actively competing athletes participated in the study, and the relationships among athlete attention, competitive anxiety, and psychological well-being were analyzed using a regression-based mediation model.ResultsThe findings revealed that athlete attention had a strong and positive effect on psychological well-being (β = 0.718), while also showing a significant negative effect on competitive anxiety (β = 0.574). In turn, competitive anxiety was found to negatively predict psychological well-being (β = −0.242). When competitive anxiety was included in the model, the direct effect of attention on psychological well-being decreased (β = 0.579), indicating the presence of a mediation structure. Bootstrap analysis further confirmed that the indirect effect was statistically significant (β = 0.139, 95% CI [0.091, 0.202]), demonstrating that competitive anxiety plays a partial mediating role in this relationship.DiscussionThese results suggest that attentional processes are associated with psychological well-being both directly and indirectly through their statistical association with competitive anxiety. From a theoretical perspective, the findings support the assumptions of Attentional Control Theory within a sport context and highlight the role of attention as a multidimensional regulatory mechanism. Practically, the findings suggest that interventions targeting both attentional control and anxiety regulation may be associated with more favorable psychological well-being outcomes than approaches focusing solely on performance-related outcomes.