Association between the use of fitness trackers, perfectionism, motivation and anxiety in athletes.

Introduction: In recent years, the use of fitness trackers in sports practice has increased. However, despite their growing popularity, there is little empirical evidence regarding their psychological impact on non-professional athletes, particularly in relation to variables such as motivation, anxiety, and perfectionism. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore possible differences and associations in these psychological variables based on the use of fitness trackers. Methods: A total of 120 athletes participated and completed three questionnaires: the Sport-MPS-2, the SMS, and the SAS-2. A comparative cross-sectional study of independent groups with non-probabilistic sampling was carried out. Results: Significant differences were observed in the variables of personal standards (U = 861, Discussion: These findings suggest an association between the use of fitness trackers and personal standards and concern about mistakes. The association with motivation-related variables depends mainly on the reasons for their use rather than the device itself. Feedback from fitness trackers could act as a cognitive anchor, allowing greater attention to the task at hand. Negative emotional and cognitive associations may be influenced by other variables. The need for further examination of these relationships through larger studies and discipline-specific research is evident.