Autoeficácia, autoestima e bem-estar subjetivo no esporte: características de atletas competitivos

In contemporary sport, athletes face a variety of challenges that can generate stressful conditions, requiring the development of personal resources to cope with adversity. In this context, Positive Psychology can contribute to the understanding, strengthening, and development of protective factors such as self-efficacy, self-esteem, and subjective well-being, thereby enhancing sports performance and quality of life. The present study aimed to describe the levels of self-efficacy, self-esteem, and subjective well-being among competitive athletes and to investigate the correlations between these constructs and sociodemographic and contextual variables. The sample comprised 95 Brazilian competitive athletes, predominantly male, with a mean age of 25.88 years, practicing different sports modalities. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale. The results indicated that most athletes presented levels of self-efficacy, self-esteem, and subjective well-being equal to or above the population average, as well as statistically significant correlations among these constructs. It is concluded that sports practice may contribute to the promotion of mental health in competitive athletes, reinforcing the importance of psychological interventions aimed at strengthening these resources.