ArticleBMJ open sport & exercise medicine2017
The anticipatory stress response to sport competition; a systematic review with meta-analysis of cortisol reactivity.
Article in BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 103 citations in OpenAlex.
- Meta-analysis reveals glucocorticoid levels reflect variation in metabolic rate, not 'stress'.eLife · 2023Pooled it
- The Window Matters: A Systematic Review of Time Restricted Eating Strategies in Relation to Cortisol and Melatonin Secretion.Nutrients · 2021Pooled it
- Trial
- Temporal dissociation between endocrine and psychological responses across an official boxing bout in national-level male boxers.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Anticipatory Cortisol Regulation During Competition in Elite Female Field Hockey Players.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2026Article
- Evaluation of biological and psychometric variables in children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities engaged in aquatic and land-based physical activities.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Performance Under Pressure in Sport: A Position Statement from Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA).Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Article
- Competitive Stress Elicits Distinct Psychophysiological and Immunological Responses in Sub-Elite Water Polo Players.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Do psychophysiological responses to competitive anxiety predict competition outcomes? A pilot study in elite female karate athletes.JSAMS plus · 2026Article
- A 14-Day Sleep Hygiene Intervention Improves Aerobic Performance and Reduces Anticipatory Cortisol in University Soccer Players.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Didactic adaptation of basketball in physical education to reduce anxiety and emotional eating in adolescent girls with obesity: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Pre-exercise mood, sex-specific hormonal and neuromodulatory responses to maximal exertion in elite rowers.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Blunted baroreflex-mediated sympathoinhibition and vasodilation to countdown before exercise in young women compared to men.Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2025Article
- Heart rate variability reveals graded task difficulty effects and sensitization dynamics in anticipatory psychological stress via time-domain analysis.Journal of physiological anthropology · 2025Article
- Circulating growth hormone, cortisol and testosterone in relation to vitamin D status: influence of lower and upper body wingate anaerobic test in elite artistic gymnasts.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Anxiety level modulates endocrine and neuromodulatory responses to maximal exercise and 24-h recovery in elite rowers.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
- Effects of a Playoff Match on Competitive Anxiety and Autonomic Regulation in Professional esports Players.Clinical practice and epidemiology in mental health : CP & EMH · 2025Article
- Can consumption of finger millet diet improve mental health status in athletes: a possible link with modulation of cortisol levels.Physical activity and nutrition · 2024Article
- Stress-Related Hormonal and Psychological Changes to Simulated and Official Judo Black Belt Examination in Older Tori and Adult Uke: An Exploratory Observational Study.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Effects of Exercise on Urinary Parameters and Proteins in Well-Trained Canicross Dogs: A Preliminary Study.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveAthletes anticipating sport competition regularly experience distinct emotional and physiological responses as a result of the expected psychosocial and physical stress. Specifically, cortisol, an indicator of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation, prepares the athlete for the psychological and physiological demands of competition. The objective of this meta-analysis is to analyse the magnitude of the anticipatory cortisol response in athletes preparing to participate in sport competition and to examine the influence of gender, level of competition and data collection time.
designSystematic review with meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Four electronic databases were searched to March 2017: PubMed, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus and Scopus. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: (1) Athletes participating in real sport competition;(2) salivary cortisol concentration collected before competition in addition to baseline sample(s);(3) original research article published in English language.
resultsData from 25 studies provided 27 effect sizes. A significant anticipatory cortisol response of g=0.85, p<0.001 was identified. Males had a stronger trend for greater cortisol reactivity (g=1.07) than females (g=0.56, p=0.07). Females and athletes competing at international level did not demonstrate a significant anticipatory stress response. There were no significant differences between level of competition, type of sport or time of competition. Meta-regression indicated that the anticipatory cortisol response is greater when assessed closer to the start of competition (Q=6.85, p=0.009). SUMMARY/
conclusionThe anticipatory cortisol response before sport competition reflects moderate cortisol reactivity that prepares athletes optimally for the demands of sport competition via the influence on cognitive processes and attentional control. However, both female athletes and international competitors did not demonstrate a significant anticipatory cortisol response, possibly due to differences in appraisal of the stress of sport competition.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.