Analyzing the Role of Mental Health in Relation to Health Anxiety and Sports Performance of Coaches, Presenting the Optimal Model

the aim of the present study is to analyze the role of mental health in relation to health anxiety and sports performance of coaches by presenting a desirable model. The research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlational in terms of implementation method. The statistical population of the study consisted of all sports coaches in Kermanshah province in 1404 who had a first-class coaching certificate from the relevant sports federations (190 people). The sample size was obtained by convenience sampling method using the Morgan table and was 123 people. In this study, the standard general health questionnaires of Goldberg and Hiller (1979), the performance evaluation questionnaire of trainers of Ramezani-Nejad et al. (2017), and the health anxiety questionnaire of Salkoskis and Warwick (2002) were used to collect data. The validity of the instrument was evaluated and confirmed based on the opinions of experts, and the reliability of the questionnaires was estimated through Cronbach's alpha. To analyze the data, descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used using structural equation modeling with the help of SMART PLS software. Based on the research findings, mental health negatively affects health anxiety with an impact coefficient of -0.82 and a t value of -88.28, mental health positively affects sports performance with an impact coefficient of 0.86 and a t value of 99.5, and health anxiety negatively affects sports performance with an impact coefficient of -0.37 and a t value of -69.3. The results of the study showed that health anxiety affects the mental health and sports performance of coaches in Kermanshah province.