Competitive State AnxietyNCT07898969
Effects of Cognitive Restructuring Intervention on Competitive State Anxiety and Volleyball Skill Performance Among Female Collegiate Volleyball Players in Guangzhou, China
A study testing Cognitive Restructuring Intervention and Volleyball Referee-Signal Instruction in people with Competitive State Anxiety and Volleyball Skill Performance, run by Lyu Botao at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
This study will examine whether an 8-week cognitive restructuring (CR) program can reduce competitive state anxiety and improve volleyball skill performance among female collegiate volleyball players in Guangzhou, China. Approximately 96 players from six university women's volleyball teams will participate. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 24 years, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Competitive State Anxiety, Volleyball Skill Performance
- What is being tested?
- Cognitive Restructuring Intervention and Volleyball Referee-Signal Instruction
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 96 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 15 Oct 2026to Dec 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 24 years
- Women only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Female collegiate volleyball players aged 18-24 years from the six participating university teams located in Guangzhou.
- Current members of a university volleyball team and actively participating in regular volleyball training.
- Able to complete the selected standardized volleyball skill tests and study questionnaires.
- Able to understand Mandarin Chinese.
- Able to participate in the 8-week intervention and all scheduled assessments at baseline (T0), week 4 (T1), and week 8 (T2).
- Willing to provide written informed consent.
Who cannot join
- Current or recent severe musculoskeletal injury, or another medical condition that prevents safe participation in volleyball training or skill testing.
- Medical contraindication to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
- Inability or unwillingness to complete the 8-week study protocol or scheduled assessments.
- Ongoing psychological treatment or participation in another structured anxiety-reduction program that could affect the intervention.
- Diagnosed sleep disorder or severe sleep disturbance requiring treatment.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
This study will examine whether an 8-week cognitive restructuring (CR) program can reduce competitive state anxiety and improve volleyball skill performance among female collegiate volleyball players in Guangzhou, China.
Approximately 96 players from six university women's volleyball teams will participate. The six teams will be randomly assigned to either the CR intervention group or the neutral volleyball referee-instruction group. Both groups will continue their regular volleyball training.
Read more
The CR group will receive weekly group sessions, brief pre-training exercises and homework focused on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts in volleyball pressure situations. The comparison group will receive ordinary volleyball referee-signal instruction as a neutral educational activity and will not receive cognitive restructuring or other psychological-skills training.
Participants will complete assessments before and after the 8-week study period. The assessments will include questionnaires measuring competitive state anxiety, trait sport anxiety, sleep quality and mental effort, together with standardized tests of serving, reception, spiking, blocking and defence.
The study will compare changes in anxiety and volleyball skill performance between the two groups. Participation is voluntary. The study involves no drugs or medical devices. Exercise and testing-related discomfort will be monitored, and participants may stop or withdraw from the study at any time without penalty.
- Being tested
- Cognitive Restructuring Intervention, Volleyball Referee-Signal Instruction
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Cognitive Restructuring InterventionBehavioural
This arm includes three university women's volleyball teams. Participants will receive an 8-week cognitive restructuring (CR) program in addition to their regular team volleyball training. The CR program includes one 45-60-minute group session each week, two 5-8-minute pre-training micro-practices per week, and brief homework. Sessions focus on understanding competitive state anxiety, identifying automatic thoughts and cognitive errors, evaluating evidence and usefulness, developing adaptive task-focused self-statements, and applying these skills in volleyball pressure situations. Participants will complete the same baseline and post-intervention assessments as the comparison group.
Volleyball Referee-Signal InstructionBehavioural
This arm includes three university women's volleyball teams. Participants will continue their regular team volleyball training and receive ordinary volleyball referee-signal instruction during the 8-week study period. The instruction will cover standard volleyball referee hand signals and basic rules as a neutral educational activity. It will not include cognitive restructuring, psychological-skills training or anxiety-management content. Participants will complete the same baseline and post-intervention assessments as the CR group.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Restructuring (CR) Group | Experimental | Three university women's volleyball teams will receive an 8-week cognitive restructuring intervention in addition to regular volleyball training. The intervention includes one weekly group session, two 5-8-minute pre-training micro-practices per week, and homework focused on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts in volleyball pressure situations. Receives: Behavioral: Cognitive Restructuring Intervention |
| Neutral Volleyball Referee-Instruction Group | Active comparator | Three university women's volleyball teams will continue regular volleyball training and receive ordinary volleyball referee-signal instruction as a neutral educational activity. No cognitive restructuring or other psychological-skills training will be provided. Receives: Behavioral: Volleyball Referee-Signal Instruction |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Competitive State Anxiety Assessed by the Chinese CSAI-2
Competitive state anxiety will be assessed using the Chinese version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2), including cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and state self-confidence. The primary analysis will examine changes in CSAI-2 scores over time and compare these changes between the cognitive restructuring group and the neutral volleyball referee-instruction group.
Measured: Baseline (T0, before the intervention), mid-intervention assessment (T1, week 4), and post-intervention assessment (T2, week 8). The CSAI-2 will be completed 10-12 minutes before the volleyball skill tests at each assessment.
Volleyball Skill Performance
Volleyball skill performance will be assessed using standardized volleyball skill tests adapted from the U18 and libero technical-test criteria of the China Youth Volleyball Teaching and Training Outline (2026) and Volleyball Management Center (2026). The assessment includes five skill domains: serving, reception, spiking, blocking, and defence. Each domain will be scored from 0 to 10 points by combining task achievement or quality (50%) and technical quality (50%). The five domain scores will be summed to produce a total volleyball skill-performance score ranging from 0 to 50 points, with higher scores indicating better performance. Tests will be conducted at baseline (T0), mid-intervention (T1, week 4), and post-intervention (T2, week 8) using standardized procedures and trained raters.
Measured: Baseline (T0), mid-intervention assessment (T1, week 4), and post-intervention assessment (T2, week 8).
Secondary outcomes (3)
Sleep Quality Assessed by the Chinese Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
Sleep quality will be assessed using the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The PSQI evaluates subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleep medication and daytime dysfunction. The PSQI score will be used as a baseline control variable in the analysis, with higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality.
Measured: Baseline assessment (T0) before the intervention.
Trait Sport Anxiety Assessed by the Chinese SAS-2
Sport anxiety will be assessed using the validated Chinese version of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) at baseline, mid-intervention, and post-intervention assessments. The 15-item scale measures worry, somatic anxiety, and concentration disruption. Each item is scored from 1 to 4, and total and subscale scores will be calculated according to the validated scoring procedure. Higher scores indicate greater sport anxiety. Changes in SAS-2 scores over time and differences between the cognitive restructuring group and the neutral volleyball referee-instruction group will be analyzed as a secondary outcome.
Measured: Baseline (T0), mid-intervention assessment (T1, week 4), and post-intervention assessment (T2, week 8).
Mental Effort Assessed by the Rating Scale of Mental Effort (RSME)
Mental effort during the volleyball skill tests will be assessed using the Rating Scale of Mental Effort (RSME). The RSME score will be recorded after each assessment session, with higher scores indicating greater perceived mental effort.
Measured: Baseline (T0), mid-intervention assessment (T1, week 4), and post-intervention assessment (T2, week 8).
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted27 Oct 2026
- Study start15 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionDec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Competitive State AnxietyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 96 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Lyu Botao
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Lyu Botao, Universiti Putra Malaysia
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07898969
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- CR-VB-2026-01
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 19 Oct 2026
- Last updated
- 27 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual participant-level data will not be routinely shared with other researchers because the dataset contains sensitive information from human participants, including psychological questionnaire responses, sleep-related information, perceived mental effort, and volleyball performance data. The current informed consent and ethics approval do not authorize public release of individual-level data. Only aggregated, non-identifiable results will be reported. Any future request for access to de-identified data would require separate ethics review, institutional approval, and compliance with applicable data-protection requirements.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effects of Cognitive Restructuring Intervention on Competitive State Anxiety and Volleyball Skill Performance Among Female Collegiate Volleyball Players in Guangzhou, China
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07898969
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- CR-VB-2026-01
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 96 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Lyu BotaoUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 15 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 27 Oct 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study will examine whether an 8-week cognitive restructuring (CR) program can reduce competitive state anxiety and improve volleyball skill performance among female collegiate volleyball players in Guangzhou, China.
Approximately 96 players from six university women's volleyball teams will participate. The six teams will be randomly assigned to either the CR intervention group or the neutral volleyball referee-instruction group. Both groups will continue their regular volleyball training.
The CR group will receive weekly group sessions, brief pre-training exercises and homework focused on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts in volleyball pressure situations. The comparison group will receive ordinary volleyball referee-signal instruction as a neutral educational activity and will not receive cognitive restructuring or other psychological-skills training.
Participants will complete assessments before and after the 8-week study period. The assessments will include questionnaires measuring competitive state anxiety, trait sport anxiety, sleep quality and mental effort, together with standardized tests of serving, reception, spiking, blocking and defence.
The study will compare changes in anxiety and volleyball skill performance between the two groups. Participation is voluntary. The study involves no drugs or medical devices. Exercise and testing-related discomfort will be monitored, and participants may stop or withdraw from the study at any time without penalty.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Restructuring (CR) Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Cognitive Restructuring InterventionThree university women's volleyball teams will receive an 8-week cognitive restructuring intervention in addition to regular volleyball training. The intervention includes one weekly group session, two 5-8-minute pre-training micro-practices per week, and homework focused on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts in volleyball pressure situations. |
| Neutral Volleyball Referee-Instruction Group | Active comparator | Behavioral: Volleyball Referee-Signal InstructionThree university women's volleyball teams will continue regular volleyball training and receive ordinary volleyball referee-signal instruction as a neutral educational activity. No cognitive restructuring or other psychological-skills training will be provided. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 24 years
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Female collegiate volleyball players aged 18-24 years from the six participating university teams located in Guangzhou.
- Current members of a university volleyball team and actively participating in regular volleyball training.
- Able to complete the selected standardized volleyball skill tests and study questionnaires.
- Able to understand Mandarin Chinese.
- Able to participate in the 8-week intervention and all scheduled assessments at baseline (T0), week 4 (T1), and week 8 (T2).
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Current or recent severe musculoskeletal injury, or another medical condition that prevents safe participation in volleyball training or skill testing.
- Medical contraindication to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
- Inability or unwillingness to complete the 8-week study protocol or scheduled assessments.
- Ongoing psychological treatment or participation in another structured anxiety-reduction program that could affect the intervention.
- Diagnosed sleep disorder or severe sleep disturbance requiring treatment.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Restructuring InterventionThis arm includes three university women's volleyball teams. Participants will receive an 8-week cognitive restructuring (CR) program in addition to their regular team volleyball training. The CR program includes one 45-60-minute group session each week, two 5-8-minute pre-training micro-practices per week, and brief homework. Sessions focus on understanding competitive state anxiety, identifying automatic thoughts and cognitive errors, evaluating evidence and usefulness, developing adaptive task-focused self-statements, and applying these skills in volleyball pressure situations. Participants will complete the same baseline and post-intervention assessments as the comparison group. | Behavioural | Cognitive Restructuring (CR) Group |
| Volleyball Referee-Signal InstructionThis arm includes three university women's volleyball teams. Participants will continue their regular team volleyball training and receive ordinary volleyball referee-signal instruction during the 8-week study period. The instruction will cover standard volleyball referee hand signals and basic rules as a neutral educational activity. It will not include cognitive restructuring, psychological-skills training or anxiety-management content. Participants will complete the same baseline and post-intervention assessments as the CR group. | Behavioural | Neutral Volleyball Referee-Instruction Group |
Primary outcome
Competitive State Anxiety Assessed by the Chinese CSAI-2
Time frame: Baseline (T0, before the intervention), mid-intervention assessment (T1, week 4), and post-intervention assessment (T2, week 8). The CSAI-2 will be completed 10-12 minutes before the volleyball skill tests at each assessment.
Competitive state anxiety will be assessed using the Chinese version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2), including cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and state self-confidence. The primary analysis will examine changes in CSAI-2 scores over time and compare these changes between the cognitive restructuring group and the neutral volleyball referee-instruction group.
Volleyball Skill Performance
Time frame: Baseline (T0), mid-intervention assessment (T1, week 4), and post-intervention assessment (T2, week 8).
Volleyball skill performance will be assessed using standardized volleyball skill tests adapted from the U18 and libero technical-test criteria of the China Youth Volleyball Teaching and Training Outline (2026) and Volleyball Management Center (2026). The assessment includes five skill domains: serving, reception, spiking, blocking, and defence. Each domain will be scored from 0 to 10 points by combining task achievement or quality (50%) and technical quality (50%). The five domain scores will be summed to produce a total volleyball skill-performance score ranging from 0 to 50 points, with higher scores indicating better performance. Tests will be conducted at baseline (T0), mid-intervention (T1, week 4), and post-intervention (T2, week 8) using standardized procedures and trained raters.
3 secondary outcomes
Sleep Quality Assessed by the Chinese Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
Time frame: Baseline assessment (T0) before the intervention.
Trait Sport Anxiety Assessed by the Chinese SAS-2
Time frame: Baseline (T0), mid-intervention assessment (T1, week 4), and post-intervention assessment (T2, week 8).
Mental Effort Assessed by the Rating Scale of Mental Effort (RSME)
Time frame: Baseline (T0), mid-intervention assessment (T1, week 4), and post-intervention assessment (T2, week 8).
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 Oct 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Individual participant-level data will not be routinely shared with other researchers because the dataset contains sensitive information from human participants, including psychological questionnaire responses, sleep-related information, perceived mental effort, and volleyball performance data. The current informed consent and ethics approval do not authorize public release of individual-level data. Only aggregated, non-identifiable results will be reported. Any future request for access to de-identified data would require separate ethics review, institutional approval, and compliance with applicable data-protection requirements.
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Cognitive Restructuring Intervention and Volleyball Referee-Signal Instruction in people with Competitive State Anxiety and Volleyball Skill Performance, run by Lyu Botao at 1 site in China.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in China. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Botao Lyu (+8617839911252, lbt514773642@gmail.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Competitive State Anxiety Assessed by the Chinese CSAI-2 (time frame: Baseline (T0, before the intervention), mid-intervention assessment (T1, week 4), and post-intervention assessment (T2, week 8). The CSAI-2 will be completed 10-12 minutes before the volleyball skill tests at each assessment.). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 27 Oct 2026.