Configurational and predictive mechanisms of performance anxiety in female collegiate athletes: the synergistic roles of evaluative pressure, self-efficacy, and mental toughness

Background

Chinese University Basketball Association League (CUBAL) Division II female athletes face significant performance anxiety. Moving beyond traditional linear assumptions, this study integrates self-presentation theory and the positive psychological capital framework to investigate how external evaluative pressure (fear of negative evaluation), internal resources (self-efficacy, mental toughness), and competitive experience synergistically predict performance anxiety.