title: Self-efficacy, state anxiety, and cortisol responses to treadmill running.
abstract: Social cognitive theory of Bandura hypothesizes that increases in self-efficacy act as a mechanism for anxiety reduction and lower biological stress reactions. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine self-efficacy, anxiety, and cortisol responses to 20 minutes of treadmill running at 85% maximal heart rate and a control condition among 12 physically active males. For this study, self-efficacy, anxiety, and cortisol were measured prior to and 5 and 20 min. after exercise for individuals completing a 20-min. treadmill running activity or a 20 min. rest (control) activity. Repeated-measures analyses of variance showed significant condition by time interaction for self-efficacy and cortisol (ps <.05); the exercise group's self-efficacy and cortisol increased pre- to posttreatment. Moreover, the analysis of variance for anxiety yielded a main effect for time, with reductions in anxiety scores observed in both conditions. Correlational analyses showed that posttreatment cortisol levels were inversely correlated -.51 to self-efficacy scores and positively correlated .55 to anxiety scores. The correlation between self-efficacy and anxiety was not significant. These results provide partial support for the predicted relationships among self-efficacy, anxiety, and cortisol responses to treadmill running. Suggestions for research are provided.
authors.affiliation: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 62026-1126, USA.
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Butki
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Rudolph
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005080:Exercise Test; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D012420:Running; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D020377:Self Efficacy
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone