Based on the linked source; automatically prepared and checked against the original report.
Study focus
The study investigated multidimensional stress patterns before competition, combining salivary cortisol with cognitive anxiety, bodily anxiety, self-confidence and perceived stress. Researchers used a person-centred approach to test whether distinct athlete groups emerged and whether a physiological-reactor pattern could be identified. The study also planned to examine links with functional classification and sport-specific characteristics, while selecting potential predictors of cortisol levels.
Participants and measurements
Thirty-four male athletes from four regional-league wheelchair basketball teams participated. All had at least three years of wheelchair basketball experience and were active competitors. Psychological assessments were administered one hour before competition, while saliva samples were collected roughly 35–50 minutes before scheduled matches and analysed for cortisol. The sample’s reported average pre-competition cortisol was 10.02 nmol/L, alongside average cognitive and bodily anxiety, self-confidence and perceived-stress scores.
Analysis and limits
K-means clustering used five measures, including log-transformed cortisol, to identify groups; elbow and silhouette methods supported a three-cluster solution. The resulting groups contained five, nine and 20 athletes, with bootstrap stability described as moderate. The researchers characterised the work as exploratory: participation was feasibility-based, no a priori power calculation was used, and the sample included only men, limiting how broadly the findings can be applied.
