Effectiveness of Psychological Preparation Program on Sport Performance of Futsal Girl Players: Mediating Role of Personality

The purpose of this research is to determine the effectiveness of the psychological preparation program in the increase of the sport performance dimensions of girls in the field of futsal with the mediator role of personality factors. The statistical population of all players in the group of youth girls of age range including 18-22 years old was in the field of futsal in Tehran province. 68 players were selected by available sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The research method was semi-experimental with pre-test and post-test design as well as control group. The primary level of athletic performance and personality factors of all participants were measured by questionnaire of behavioural check list and five personality factors. The psychological preparation program was implemented in 10 sessions for participants in the experimental group as well as no program was performed for participants in the control group. The performance of all participants in the post-test phase was again measured. Data were analysed using two-way analysis of variance. The results indicated that the psychological preparation program could significantly increase the dimensions of sport performance (passing the ball, ball control catching the ball) in futsal girls (p<0.01). The effect of the psychological preparation program on the dimensions of athletic performance (passing, controlling and catching the ball) depends on the moderating role of the neuroticism personality component. The results suggest that it is required to pay attention to the neuroticism personality component of the psychological preparation of girls in the field of futsal.