Anxiety in sport: An Italian validation of the Sport Anxiety Scale 2

Anxiety can affect different spheres of our lives and several studies found that it has a negative impact on sport performance. Precisely, it can limit body coordination, cardio-vascular efficiency, and cognitive concentration. Anxiety can even be dangerous in some sports such as car racing due to attentional control limitation. The availability of a tool measuring sport anxiety can thus be of help for both research and applied (e.g., intervention) aspects. The aim of the present contribution was to validate an Italian version of the Sport Anxiety Scale 2 (SAS-2), assessing the competitive trait anxiety experienced by athletes before or during competition. In total, 149 participants (35.6 % females) aged between 18 and 64 (M = 32.12, SD = 10.99) completed five questionnaires measuring sport anxiety, trait and state anxiety, depression, and social phobia. Our results supported the three-factors structure of the SAS-2 (somatic anxiety, worry, and concentration disruption, all with acceptable internal-consistency), and showed that SAS-2 scores correlated with the other questionnaires thus suggesting good validity. Practical applications of the findings, limitations and suggestions for future research were also discussed.