273  SPORT AND HEALTH THE COMPARISON OF SOCIAL ANXIETY LEVELS BETWEEN ADOLESCENT(S) HEARING-IMPAIRED ATHLETES AND NORMAL HEALTHY ATHLETES KAYA MUSTAFA 1 , POLAT METIN 2 , GEVAT CECILIA 3 , GÜVEN HACER 1 ABSTRACT Purpose The purpose of this study is searching whether the social anxiety is different between hearing- impaired and normal healthy athletes in sport or not. 50 hearing-impaired and 50 normal healthy athletes attended the study voluntarily. The inventory of social anxiety which consists of 22 questions was applied to the volunteers. The averages of ages, heights and body weights of the volunteers who attended the study were determined in turn as 12.82±1.19 year, 147±98 cm, 39.94±11.32 kg for hearing-impaired athletes and 12.84±1.03 year, 145.62±10.60 cm and 36.38±10.86 kg for normal healthy athletes. Methods The differences of the findings which were obtained as result of measurements were evaluated by applying t test in independent groups to compare these independent groups in the computer environment. The level of significance was determined as 0.05. Results According to the findings which were collected, the fear of negative evaluation of hearing- impaired and normal healthy athletes was found as significant, social avoidance and distress in general was found as insignificant and social avoidance and distress specific to new situations were found as insignificant. Conclusions As a result, the social anxiety, the fear of negative evaluation, social avoidance and distress specific to new situations of normal healthy athletes were found as more significant than hearing-impaired athletes, social avoidance and distress in general was found as insignificant and it is thought to be necessary that we should give much more part the programs which can decrease the level of the anxiety in hearing-impaired athletes. Key Words: Hearing-Impaired Athletes, Social Anxiety, Normal Healthy Athletes. Introduction The structural, physiological, psychological qualities which determine the level of athletic performance can get an excellent success with the effects of mental ability. Anxiety is a quality which is peculiar to human being and it is the position of that the stimuli cause some reactions which normally don’t cause fear (I. Tavacıoğlu et al, 1997, E. Kuru, 2000). Social anxiety (phobia) was named firstly by Janet in 1903. Janet used this term which he named as ‘social phobia’ (phobie des situations socials) to identify the people who are afraid of being watched by others while they are speaking, playing piano writing. It is quite new that social anxiety is 1 Physical Education and Sport College of Erciyes University, TURKEY 2 Physical Education and Sport College of Niğde University, TURKEY 3 Physical Education And Sport College of Ovidius University, ROMANIA e-mail: mkaya@erciyes.edu.tr Received 15.02.2011 / Accepted 17.04.2011