Emotion regulation and sport confidence among student athletes: The moderating role of gender
Keywords:
Emotion regulation, gender, sport confidence, student athletesAbstract
Background: Academic pressure and competitive demands can cause psychological stress in student-athletes who are still in the stage of social-emotional development. This condition can affect their ability to regulate emotions and maintain sport confidence during competition. However, empirical evidence examining gender as a moderating factor in the relationship between emotion regulation and sport confidence among student-athletes remains limited. Objectives: The research goal is to examine the effect of emotion regulation on sport confidence, moderated by gender role among student athletes. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed involving 113 student athletes. Data analysis used the Moderation Regression Analysis (MRA) technique with gender as a moderating variable. Emotion regulation was measured using instruments from ERQ–Short Form and sport confidence from TRSCI. Results: The results indicated that emotion regulation ability is a significant predictor of sport confidence (p < 0.001); the better student athletes can regulate their emotions, the higher their level of sport confidence. Additionally, gender was found to significantly moderate this relationship (p = 0.028). The combined effects of emotion regulation and gender can explain 20.2% of the variation in sports confidence (R² = 0.202). Conclusion: This study concludes that emotional regulation ability is an important factor in sport confidence among student athletes, with differing effects based on gender. These findings have practical implications for sports mental coaches in designing gender-based emotional regulation training to improve student-athlete sport confidence, such as mindfulness training, and open opportunities for further research with a longitudinal approach and other psychological variables.
Downloads
Author Biographies
Elok Faiqoh Maulidiyah, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia
Miftakhul Jannah, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia
References
Aliberti, S., D’Elia, F., Giardullo, G., & Raiola, G. (2025). Agonism and Performance in Adolescent Football Players in Informal Physical Education Settings. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 7(January), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2025.1511719
Amaro, R., & Brandão, T. (2023). Competitive Anxiety in Athletes: Emotion Regulation and Personality Matter. Kinesiology, 55(1), 108–119. https://doi.org/10.26582/k.55.1.12
Anggara, A. R. D., & Laksmiwati, H. (2022). Hubungan Antara Hardiness dengan Stres pada Atlet Pelajar Beladiri Kota Blitar. Character: Jurnal Penelitian Psikologi, 9(5), 104–115. https://doi.org/10.26740/cjpp.v9i5.47487
Beattie, S., Hardy, L., Savage, J., Woodman, T., & Callow, N. (2010). Development and Validation of a Trait Measure of Robustness of Self-Confidence. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 12(2), 184–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2010.09.008
Boas, M. V., Ucha, F. G., de Souza, V. H., Manzini, M., de Freitas Corrêa, M., Angelo, D. L., Corcuera-Bustamante, S., Reyes-Bossio, M., Viveiros, L., & Brandão, M. R. F. (2024). the Relationship Between Emotional Regulation and Sports Performance: a Systematic Review. Journal of Physical Education (Maringa), 35(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.4025/jphyseduc.35i1.3530
Destian, D., Komarudin, Saputra, M. Y. & Novian, G. (2025). Relationship between Emotion Regulation and Self-Confidence of Female Hockey Athletes. Journal of Physical Education Health and Sport, 12(1), 63–67. https://doi.org/10.15294/jpehs.v12i1.28360
Doorley, J. D., Kashdan, T. B., Weppner, C. H., & Glass, C. R. (2022). The Effects of Self-Compassion on Daily Emotion Regulation and Performance Rebound among College Athletes: Comparisons with Confidence, Grit, and Hope. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 58, 102081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102081
Gomez-Baya, D., Mendoza, R., Matos, M. G. de, & Tomico, A. (2017). Sport Participation, Body Satisfaction and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: A Moderated-Mediation Analysis of Gender Differences. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 16(2), 183–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2017.1364988
Greenlees, I., Parr, A., Murray, S., & Burkitt, E. (2021). Elite Youth Soccer Players’ Sources and Types of Soccer Confidence. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 9(11). 146. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9110146
Gross, J. J. (2015). The Extended Process Model of Emotion Regulation: Elaborations, Applications, and Future Directions. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 130–137. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2015.989751
Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (2003). Individual Differences in Two Emotion Regulation Processes: Implications for Affect, Relationships, and Well-Being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(2), 348–362. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.85.2.348
Jannah, M. (2018). Metodologi Penelitian Kuantitatif untuk Psikologi. Unesa University Press.
Khan, A. J., Maguen, S., Straus, L. D., Nelyan, T. C., Gross, J. J., & Cohen, B. E. (2021). Expressive Suppression and Cognitive Reappraisal in Veterans with PTSD: Results from the Mind Your Heart Study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 283, 278–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.02.015
Kim, J., & Tamminen, K. A. (2022). Emotion Regulation among Competitive Youth Athletes: Exploring the Independent and Interactive Effects of Cognitive Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 21(3), 534–556. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2022.2064893
Kim, J., Tamminen, K. A., & Cai, R. (2025). Social Norms and Emotion Regulation among Youth Athletes. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2025.2493690
Kılıç, S. (2016). Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Coefficient. Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 6(1), 47–48. https://doi.org/10.5455/jmood.20160307122823
Kumari, S., & Chauhan, R. (2025). Mental Toughness among Student-Athletes: A Gender-Based Comparative Study. International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health, 12(3), 235–239. https://doi.org/10.22271/kheljournal.2025.v12.i3d.3803
Lochbaum, M., Sherburn, M., Sisneros, C., Cooper, S., Lane, A. M., & Terry, P. C. (2022). Revisiting the Self-Confidence and Sport Performance Relationship: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11). 6381. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116381
Lulu, Z., Huimin, L., & Hua, S. (2025). Effect of Emotional Regulation on Performance of Shooters During Competition: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study. PLoS ONE, 20(3 March), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0318872
McRae, K., & Gross, J. J. (2020). Emotion regulation. In Emotion (Vol. 20, Issue 1, pp. 1–9). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000703
Millán-Sánchez, A., Madinabeitia, I., de la Vega, R., Cárdenas, D., & Ureña, A. (2023). Effects of Emotional Regulation and Impulsivity on Sports Performance: The Mediating Role of Gender and Competition Level. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1164956. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1164956
Mladenović, M., Stojanović, N., Stojanović, D., Živković, M., Aleksić, D., Tešanović, G., & Momčilović, V. (2021). Emotional Reactivity and Emotion Regulation among Young Adults during COVID-19 Lockdown: The Moderating Role of Gender and Engagement in Sports. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.774732
Morais, C., Simães, C., Gomes, A. R., & Gonçalves, B. M. (2023). Stressors and Expected Performance of Soccer Athletes: The Role of Sport Confidence and Cognitive Appraisal. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 19(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2022-0046
Morano, M., Robazza, C., Ruiz, M. C., Cataldi, S., Fischetti, F., & Bortoli, L. (2020). Gender-Typed Sport Practice, Physical Self-Perceptions, and Performance-Related Emotions in Adolescent Girls. Sustainability, 12(20), 8518. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208518
Mugford, A., & Cremades, J. G. (2018). Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology: Theories and Applications (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429438851
Nogueira, J. M., Simães, C., Morais, C., Mansell, P., & Gomes, A. R. (2025). Coping Strategies Before Competition: The Role of Stress, Cognitive Appraisal, and Emotions. Sports, 13(10), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13100366
Octavianingrum, W., & Savira, S. I. (2022). Hubungan Kepercayaan Diri dengan Regulasi Emosi pada Atlet Pencak Silat Puslatda Jawa Timur. Character Jurnal Penelitian Psikologi, 9(6), 50–55. https://doi.org/10.26740/cjpp.v9i6.47002
Oguntuase, S. B., & Sun, Y. (2022). Effects of Mindfulness Training on Resilience, Self-Confidence and Emotion Regulation of Elite Football Players: The Mediating Role of Locus of Control. Asian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2(3), 198–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajsep.2022.08.003
Preece, D. A., Petrova, K., Mehta, A., & Gross, J. J. (2023). The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Short form (ERQ-S): A 6-Item Measure of Cognitive Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 340, 855–861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.08.076
Robazza, C., Morano, M., Bortoli, L., & Ruiz, M. C. (2023). Athletes’ Basic Psychological Needs and Emotions: The Role of Cognitive Reappraisal. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1205102
Ruiz, M. C., Robazza, C., Tolvanen, A., Haapanen, S., & Duda, J. L. (2019). Coach-Created Motivational Climate and Athletes’ Adaptation to Psychological Stress: Temporal Motivation-Emotion Interplay. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00617
Sammy, N., Anstiss, P. A., Moore, L. J., Freeman, P., Wilson, M. R., & Vine, S. J. (2017). The Effects of Arousal Reappraisal on Stress Responses, Performance and Attention. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 30(6), 619–629. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2017.1330952
Shu, J., Ochsner, K. N., & Phelps, E. A. (2022). Trait Intolerance of Uncertainty is Associated with Decreased Reappraisal Capacity and Increased Suppression Tendency. Affective Science, 3(3), 528–538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-022-00115-8
Sopacua, T. A., & Novanto, Y. (2019). Ketangguhan Mental Student-Athlete Bola Basket: Menganalisis Sumber dan Peranan Dukungan Sosial. Jurnal Psikologi : Media Ilmiah Psikologi, 21(2), 38–50. https://doi.org/10.47007/jpsi.v21i2.328
Stambulova, N. B., & Wylleman, P. (2019). Psychology of Athletes’ Dual Careers: A State-of-The-Art Critical Review of the European Discourse. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 42, 74–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.11.013
Stapleton, P. (2019). The Science Behind Tapping: A Proven Stress Management Technique for the Mind and Body. Hay House, Inc,
Steele, A., Van Rens, F., & Ashley, R. (2020). A Systematic Literature Review on the Academic and Athletic Identities of Student-Athletes. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 13(1), 69–92. https://doi.org/10.17161/jis.v13i1.13502
Tamminen, K. A., Gaudreau, P., McEwen, C. E., & Crocker, P. R. E. (2016). Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Among Adolescent Athletes: A Bayesian Multilevel Model Predicting Sport Enjoyment and Commitment. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 38(6), 541–555. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.2015-0189
Tamminen, K. A., Bonk, D., Milne, M.-J., & Watson, J. C. (2025). Emotion Dysregulation, Performance Concerns, and Mental Health among Canadian Athletes. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 2962. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86195-5
Thomas, O., Thrower, S. N., Lane, A., & Thomas, J. (2021). Types, Sources, and Debilitating Factors of Sport Confidence in Elite Early Adolescent Academy Soccer Players. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 33(2), 192–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2019.1630863
Turgeon, S., Martin, L., Rathwell, S., & Camiré, M. (2024). The Influence of Gender on the Relationship between the Basic Psychological Needs and Mental Health in High School Student-Athletes. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 22(3), 721–738. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2022.2161103
Wang, D., Hu, T., Luo, R., Shen, Q., Wang, Y., Li, X., Qiao, J., Zhu, L., Cui, L., & Yin, H. (2022). Effect of Cognitive Reappraisal on Archery Performance of Elite Athletes: The Mediating Effects of Sport-Confidence and Attention. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.860817
Wei, D., Xue, J., & Sun, B. (2025). Team vs. Individual Sports in Adolescence: Gendered Mechanisms Linking Emotion Regulation, Social Support, and Self-Efficacy to Psychological Resilience. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1636707
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2026 Elok Faiqoh Maulidiyah, Miftakhul Jannah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium. Copyrights of all materials published in Journal Sport Area are freely available without charge to users or / institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, search, or link to full-text articles in this journal without asking by giving appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. All of the remix, transform, or build upon the material must distribute the contributions under the same license as the original.
Accepted 2026-03-08
Published 2026-04-15
