Personality, self-efficacy and risk-taking in parkour (free-running)

• Risk-taking in sport has been associated with personality and self-efficacy.
• Practitioners of the high-risk sport parkour/free-running were surveyed.
• Big Five personality traits, self-efficacy and risk-taking in parkour were assessed.
• Greater reckless risk-taking was associated with high neuroticism and low conscientiousness.
• Self-efficacy mediated effects of neuroticism and conscientiousness on risk-taking.

ObjectiveTo assess the effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between personality and risk-taking in parkour/free-running, a growing high-risk sport.DesignQuantitative cross-sectional study.Method277 parkour and free-running practitioners were recruited online to complete a survey assessing Big Five personality traits, self-efficacy and perceived risk-taking.ResultsGreater reckless risk-taking behaviours were associated with high neuroticism (p = .013) and low conscientiousness (p = .004). Mediation analysis showed that self-efficacy exerted a significant (95% CI) indirect mediation on the relationship between personality traits of neuroticism and conscientiousness, and risk-taking. Extraversion did not predict risk-taking, and was not significantly mediated by self-efficacy.ConclusionsSelf-efficacy plays a significant mediation role in the relationship between stable traits of neuroticism and conscientiousness, and risk-taking amongst parkour/free-running practitioners. This may help elucidate reasons underlying risky sports behaviours.