Competitive Anxiety as a Predictor of the Occurrence, Quantity, and Severity of Injuries in Young Cuban Athletes

Highlights: Public health relevance—How does this work relate to a public health issue? Sports injuries in young people are a growing problem that affects physical health, psychological well-being, and continuity in sports. Competitive anxiety emerges as a psychological risk factor that influences the occurrence, number, and severity of injuries. Public health significance—Why is this work of significance to public health? It connects physical health and mental health, showing that emotional states directly influence musculoskeletal integrity. It reinforces the need to incorporate psychological assessment into prevention programs, optimizing resources and reducing healthcare costs. Public health implications—What are the key implications or messages for practitioners, policy makers and/or researchers in public health? Competitive anxiety can be used as an early indicator of risk, allowing for timely interventions before injuries occur. Sports policies should promote systematic psychological monitoring protocols during training cycles. Previous studies suggest that elevated competitive anxiety may increase the likelihood of injury. The present research aims to examine the role of competitive anxiety as a predictor of injury occurrence, frequency, and severity. A cross-sectional, correlational design was conducted with 131 athletes (mean age = 16.49 years), predominantly male. Injury data were obtained through medical record review, and competitive anxiety was assessed using the Competitive Anxiety Inventory-2. Empirical frequency distributions, descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, and logistic and ordinal regression models were employed. A high incidence of injuries was observed, although most were minor. Competitive anxiety was characterized by elevated levels of cognitive anxiety and self-confidence. Injured athletes exhibited greater overall competitive anxiety (r = 0.31, p < 0.001), with higher levels observed among those who sustained more injuries (ε² = 0.12, p = 0.001), and a very large effect was found in relation to injury severity (ε² = 0.17, p < 0.001). The occurrence of injury can only be predicted in 10.9–14.7% of cases through increased cognitive and somatic anxiety, whereas an increase across all dimensions of competitive anxiety predicts a greater number (13–14%) and severity (20.3–21.8%) of injuries. These findings underscore the importance of developing skills to manage competitive anxiety, particularly its cognitive dimension and maintaining optimal levels of self-confidence in young athletes.