Factor Structure and Gender Invariance Testing for the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) (original) (raw)

Anxiety in Athletes: Gender and Type of Sport Differences

International Journal of Psychological Research

The study of anxiety, specifically its relations with sociodemographic variables, has been fruitfull in sport psychology research. This study aimed to investigate athletes’ sport anxiety regarding differences in gender and sport played. An application of structural equation modeling was made, with 601 Portuguese athletes. From them 172 (28.6%) were female and 429 (71.4%) were male. They competed in a variety of individual (e.g., athletics, climbing, orienteering, surfing, swimming, tennis; 42.6%) and team sports (e.g., basketball, handball, rugby, soccer, volleyball; 57.4%). Participants’ age ranged from 12 to 47 years (M = 17.44 years; SD = 4.99). After testing the measurement invariance of the first and second-order models, across gender and type of sport (individual vs. team), latent mean comparisons were investigated and Cohen’s d (1988) statistic was computed to obtain the corresponding effect sizes (Kline, 2016). Significant differences were detected between male and female at...

Athlete anxiety questionnaire: the development and validation of a new questionnaire for assessing the anxiety, concentration and self-confidence of athletes

Frontiers in Psychology, 2023

Introduction: Anxiety is one of the most prevalent issues among athletes. Therefore, measuring the stress caused by high-stakes situations could be important for investigating the issue. In sports psychology literature, no valid and reliable questionnaire is available in Hungarian for assessing the anxiety experienced by athletes in high-stakes situations. This study aimed to create a new Hungarian questionnaire to measure anxiety, self-confidence, and concentration during high-stakes contests. Methods: 263 athletes of various sports participated in the cross-sectional study (age: 16.18 ± 3.46 years). The structure of the Anxiety Athletes Questionnaire (AAQ) was examined through factor analysis, where exploratory factor analysis (EFA) as well as confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were carried out. The internal consistency of the subscales of AAQ was measured by Cronbach's alpha. Through a convergent validity test, the AAQ questionnaire was compared to the subscales of the CSAI-2 and ACSI-28 questionnaire subscales by Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. Through a discriminant validity analysis, the differences by age group, sex, and sport variables were examined by AAQ scores. The Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were utilized in the analysis. The SPSS 28.0 software was used for the statistical analysis, and the level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Four factors have been identified through the EFA. The CFA analysis showed the four-factor model an acceptable model fit (SRMR, RMSEA CFI, TLI). Cronbach's alpha of the four subscales showed acceptable internal consistency (cognitive anxiety: α = 0.871; somatic anxiety: α = 0.700; self-confidence: α = 0.832; concentration: α = 0.747). The convergent validity showed a weak or moderate, significant relationship between AAQ subscales and subscales of CSAI and ACSI (R = −0.398-0.412). Conclusion: The Athlete Anxiety Questionnaire can be considered a reliable and valid measurement tool for measuring athletes' anxiety, self-confidence and concentration in high-stakes situations.

Measurement and correlates of sport-specific cognitive and somatic trait anxiety: The sport anxiety scale

Anxiety Research, 1990

This article describes the development and validation of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2), a multidimensional measure of cognitive and somatic trait anxiety in sport performance settings. Scale development was stimulated by findings that the 3-factor structure of the original Sport Anxiety Scale (SAS; Smith, Smoll, & Schutz, 1990) could not be reproduced in child samples and that several items on the scale produced conflicting factor loadings in adult samples. Alternative items having readability levels of grade 4 or below were therefore written to create a new version suitable for both children and adults. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses replicated the original SAS factor structure at all age levels, yielding separate 5-item subscales Somatic Anxiety, Worry, and Concentration Disruption in samples as young as 9 to 10 years of age. The SAS-2 has stronger factorial validity than the original scale did, and construct validity research indicates that scores relate to other psychological measures as expected. The scale reliably predicts precompetition state anxiety scores and proved sensitive to anxiety-reduction interventions directed at youth sport coaches and parents.

Measuring anxiety in athletics: the revised competitive state anxiety inventory-2

Journal of Sport Exercise Psychology, 2003

The purpose of this study was to use confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to revise the factor structure of the CSAI-2 using one data set, and then to use CFA to validate the revised structure using a second data set. The first data set (calibration sample) consisted of 503 college-age intramural athletes, and the second (validation sample) consisted of 331 intercollegiate (Division I) and interscholastic athletes. The results of the initial CFA on the calibration sample resulted in a poor fit to the data. Using the Lagrange Multiplier Test (Gamma) as a guide, CSAI-2 items that loaded on more than one factor were sequentially deleted. The resulting 17-item revised CSAI-2 was then subjected to a CFA using the validation data sample. The results of this CFA revealed a good fit of the data to the model (CFI = .95, NNFI = .94, RMSEA = .054). It is suggested that the CSAI-2R instead of the CSAI-2 be used by researchers and practitioners for measuring competitive state anxiety in athletes.

Psychometric properties of the Three-Dimensional Anxiety Scale for Sport (ETApE) through CFA and IRT approaches

2019

The present study aimed to improve and examine the reliability, evidence regarding internal structure and invariance of the ETApE, an anxiety trait scale for sport. The study sample was formed by 500 athletes from the south of Brazil, being 64% males, from different sports and competitive levels, ranging from international to local. To examine the psychometric properties of the measurement model, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with maximum likelihood method was conducted and the composite reliability was assessed. Item parameters were analysed in light of the Item Response Theory (IRT). Moreover, the model’s invariance was tested and a latent means comparison according to gender was performed. The instrument presented good psychometric qualities that point to its validity regarding internal structure. Good indicators of reliability and factorial invariance were also achieved. A statistically significant difference was found in the three dimensions of the instrument according t...

Competitive trait anxiety and general self-esteem of athletes according to the sport type and gender

Primenjena psihologija

Traditionally, anxiety has been interpreted as a negative emotional state characterized by nervousness, worry, fret, uncertainty and vague fear which could have an adverse effect on sports achievement. On the other hand, sport type and its specific nature and demands, may also be connected with the level of state and trait anxiety. This study aimed to investigate potential differences in the competitive trait anxiety level and general self-esteem according to gender in sports of different contact level. The sample consisted of 1024 (590 males and 434 females) young athletes. Independent variables were sport contact level (non-contact, contact and collision sports) and gender. Dependent variables were measured by the adjusted versions of Sport Competition Anxiety Test and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Basic descriptive statistics was calculated for all the groups, and the differences between them were established using χ² test and MANOVA. The results suggest significant differences in...

Measurement of Multidimensional Sport Performance Anxiety in Children and Adults: The Sport Anxiety Scale-2

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2006

This article describes the development and validation of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2), a multidimensional measure of cognitive and somatic trait anxiety in sport performance settings. Scale development was stimulated by findings that the 3-factor structure of the original Sport Anxiety Scale (SAS; Smith, Smoll, & Schutz, 1990) could not be reproduced in child samples and that several items on the scale produced conflicting factor loadings in adult samples. Alternative items having readability levels of grade 4 or below were therefore written to create a new version suitable for both children and adults. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses replicated the original SAS factor structure at all age levels, yielding separate 5-item subscales for Somatic Anxiety, Worry, and Concentration Disruption in samples as young as 9 to 10 years of age. The SAS-2 has stronger factorial validity than the original scale did, and construct validity research indicates that scores relate to ...

A Comparison Study and Investigation on Sport Competition Attributive Anxiety among Elite Athletes

Anxiety is one of the mental disorders in human being, which can influence the performance of each person, especially while doing physical activities and sports. Anxiety is defined in two major levels: Attributive Anxiety and Conditional Anxiety. Anxiety is one of the most popular forms of excitement among athletes in sport competitions, and when it lasts for a long period it will increase the muscular tensions and reduce the level of performance. As a matter of fact, the role of anxiety in sports and competitions is noticeable and important. This survey, compare and investigate the sport competition attributive anxiety among male athletes who had taken part in national university championships (Iran) . The statistical population in this research was 252 male athletes from football, futsal , Table Tennis and Badminton disciplines. The mean age was 24 and the standard of deviation was 2.6. The instrument for evaluations was the special questionnaire of Sport Competition Attributive Anxiety Test (SCAT) developed by Renner Martins, which has 15 questions. The perceptive statistical methods for comparing the mean of sport disciplines anxiety was one way ANOVA and LSD test, and one sample T-Test was used for comparing the anxiety in individual and team event competitions. One sample Kolmogorov Smirnov (K-S) test was used for examining the symmetry of the distributions, which showed that the selected test was not significant (P>0.05) and the distribution of collected data was normal. There is a significant relation between the sport competition attributive anxiety in athletes who participate in individual sports with their ages (P<0.01, r=0.504) There is a significant differences between the sport competition attributive anxiety among the above athletes participated in sport disciplines (P<0.05, F=8.25) Anxiety in sport psychology is one of the major aspects for controlling the situation and the conditions of athlete and competition; while anxiety could be under your control and kept in a acceptable values, we would expect the better outcome and performance from the athlete. Keywords: Anxiety, Sport Competition Attributive Test (SCAT), Athlete.

The level of anxiety as a facilitating or inhibiting factor in sports performance

The „Black Sea” Journal of Psychology, 2023

The research part of the paper is based on four hypotheses that aim to verify the following correlations: correlations between sports anxiety and anxiety as a feature, then between cognitive anxiety and self-esteem, correlations between anxiety in team sports and individual sports. Sport anxiety and sport performance were also investigated, as well as exploring sport anxiety to reduce it and increase athletes' sport performance. Regarding this, three online questionnaires were administered to a group of 90 athletes (48 from individual sports and 42 from team sports) of both female and male gender, for a period of 6 months. The team sports were basketball and football and the individual sports were gymnastics, martial arts and wrestling. The respective questionnaires represented the research instruments and were as follows: ASQ, Rosemberg and CSAI 2. The research aimed to find out through the results obtained whether anxiety in its forms, as a characteristic, or cognitive influences positively or negatively the performance outcomes of athletes. At the same time, it was found that self-esteem represents an important factor in helping to reduce cognitive anxiety, and even more importantly, it helps athletes to use anxiety effectively. It has been found that sports performance is affected by anxiety, especially in elite athletes, who feel a major pressure on their way to competitive success. Correlations between the ASQ and subscales of the CSAI-2 test found that anxious individuals already have a background for developing greater sport anxiety, interpreting certain situations negatively, compared to individuals who are more positive.