Relationship between optimism and athletic performance. Systematic review.

Abstract

Optimism is a moderating psychological factor in sports performance. The aim of this study is to review the current evidence regarding optimism and sports performance. To this end, a systematic review of the literature was conducted, taking in consideration only those that followed PRISMA guidelines (Urrútia & Bonfill, 2013). The following databases were used with the predefined inclusion criteria (optimism and sports performance): PubMed, WOS, Scopus, Psycinfo and SportDiscus. The study was assessed using the Critical Reading and Evaluation of Epidemiological Studies (Berra, Elorza-Ricart, Estrada & Sanchez, 2008). Interrater reliability was verified withCohen’s Kappacoefficient(2 judges). The majority of the studies performed correlational analyses between LOT scale results and athletic performance (n = 7). As a result, a positive correlation was observed between optimism and athletic performance. In general, the quality of the studies was considered average. Future studies should take in consideration the use of additional, higher quality and more rigorous experimental procedures.