ArticlePeerJ2025
Psychopathological symptoms in soccer referees: the role of psychological inflexibility and perfectionism.
Article in PeerJ, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Perfectionism and anxiety sensitivity in soccer referees: the mediating role of distress tolerance.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Refereeing is associated with a high prevalence of mental health issues. Mental health problems are quite common in sport and referees are no exception. In the case of referees, psychological disorders have been associated with a number of factors and lower league officials appear more likely to experience psychological distress compared to their higher league counterparts. Aim: The aim is to analyze the relationship between psychological inflexibility, perfectionism, and psychopathological symptomatology in soccer officials. Method: A cross-sectional, anonymous, online study was conducted. Psychopathological symptoms were assessed using the Symptom Assessment-45 Questionnaire; the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire was used to assess psychological inflexibility; Perfectionism was assessed using the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. Participants are 156 active main referee (96.8% male), of whom 63.5% are at amateur level and 36.5% at semi-professional/professional level. Results: No significant differences were found between amateur and semi-professional/professional referees in psychological inflexibility and psychopathological symptoms, except for paranoid ideation, where amateurs scored higher. Significant differences were observed in the total scores of maladaptive perfectionism, particularly regarding external influences, with amateurs scoring higher. In adaptive perfectionism, significant differences were noted in both total scores and achievement expectations, with amateurs obtaining higher scores. Psychological inflexibility demonstrated a strong predictive capacity for psychopathological symptoms ( Conclusion: The results suggest that psychological inflexibility and maladaptive perfectionism are good predictors of psychopathological symptoms and mental health in referees. The status of amateur or semi-professional officials does not differentiate them from professional referees in terms of psychological disorders, but it does in terms of perfectionism. With a view to the future, it is important to intervene on these constructs, which are modifiable and facilitate their well-being.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.