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The purpose of this research was to develop a measure of sport injury anxiety (SIA), defined as the tendency to make threat appraisals in sport situations where injury is seen as possible and/or likely. The Sport Injury Anxiety Scale (SIAS) was developed in three stages. In Stage 1, expert raters evaluated items to determine their adequacy. In Stage 2, 491 collegiate athletes completed the preliminary SIAS. Results of an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a reliable scale with seven subscales, including anxiety associated with: (a) loss of athleticism, (b) being perceived as weak, (c) experiencing pain, (d) loss of social support, (e) letting down important others, (f) reinjury, and (g) having an impaired self-image. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) supported a shortened scale and the multidimensional and hierarchical structure of SIAS scores. In Stage 3, 284 collegiate athletes completed the 21-item SIAS and other measures. Analyses supported the construct validity of the SIAS.

Fear of success is a dispositional form of anxiety that can have harmful effects on athletes' motivation and performance; however, empirical research on fear of success in sport has been limited. Zuckerman and Allison's (1976) Fear of Success Scale (FOSS) has been the most popular fear of success measure used in sport, yet it is laden with theoretical, technical, and psychometric concerns that may limit the validity of scores. This study was designed to evaluate the structural validity of FOSS scores to establish whether existing models of scores are appropriate for people engaged in recreational and intercollegiate athletic pursuits. Confirmatory factor analyses of plausible one-factor and three-factor models did not reveal adequate fit for either model. Recommendations for advancing fear of success measurement are presented. (Contains 2 footnotes and 6 tables.)

The purpose of this research was to develop a measure of sport injury anxiety (SIA), defined as the tendency to make threat appraisals in sport situations where injury is seen as possible and/or likely. The Sport Injury Anxiety Scale (SIAS) was developed in three stages. In Stage 1, expert raters evaluated items to determine their adequacy. In Stage 2, 491 collegiate athletes completed the preliminary SIAS. Results of an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a reliable scale with seven subscales, including anxiety associated with: (a) loss of athleticism, (b) being perceived as weak, (c) experiencing pain, (d) loss of social support, (e) letting down important others, (f) reinjury, and (g) having an impaired self-image. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) supported a shortened scale and the multidimensional and hierarchical structure of SIAS scores. In Stage 3, 284 collegiate athletes completed the 21-item SIAS and other measures. Analyses supported the construct validity of the SIAS. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Objectives: The present study was designed to examine the usefulness of the Performance Success Threat Appraisal Inventory (PSTAI; ) to assess fear of success in male and female elite athletes and its relationships with achievement goal orientations. Introduced originally to explain gender differences in achievement behavior, we verify the usefulness of fear of success (FS) in sport domain by using the emotionally-based definition of FS proposed by , which is operationalized as belief strengths regarding aversive successes that predispose individuals to appraise success as threatening. Methods: Three studies, involving 668 athletes, were designed to assess the multidimensionality of FS, the relationships between FS and personality variable such as anxiety, and the relationships between FS and achievement goals. Results: Component factorial analysis provided structural validity of the PSTAI and Pearson correlations supported the compromise hypothesis developed by . Males who scored high on FS reported high somatic anxiety, worry, concentration disruption, preoccupation with rewards, and a tendency to suffer a lack of freedom in their relations with others. Regression analysis showed that FS males were predisposed to pursue mastery-avoidance goals. FS was not correlated with anxiety for females. Conclusions: Evidence of the multidimensional structure of the PSTAI was obtained. Consistent with theoretical predictions, elite athletes are interested by mastery approach and they tend to report fear concerning their capabilities to progress, despite effort. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Fear of success is a dispositional form of anxiety that can have harmful effects on athletes' motivation and performance; however, empirical research on fear of success in sport has been limited. Zuckerman and Allison's (1976) Fear of Success Scale (FOSS) has been the most popular fear of success measure used in sport, yet it is laden with theoretical, technical, and psychometric concerns that may limit the validity of scores. This study was designed to evaluate the structural validity of FOSS scores to establish whether existing models of scores are appropriate for people engaged in recreational and intercollegiate athletic pursuits. Confirmatory factor analyses of plausible one-factor and three-factor models did not reveal adequate fit for either model. Recommendations for advancing fear of success measurement are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]