Coping strategies, multidimensional competitive anxiety and cognitive threat appraisal : differences across sex, age and type of sport

The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of anxiety, threat perception, and the coping
strategies used by Portuguese athletes, and to assess differences between athletes of different sexes, ages and
sports. In this investigation there were 550 male and female participating athletes, aged between 15 and 35 years
(19.8 ± 4.5), representing several individual and team sports. Subjects filled out the Portuguese versions of the Sport
Anxiety Scale [34] and of the Brief COPE [4], as well as the Cognitive Appraisal Scale in Sport Competition – Threat
Perception [9]. The results showed that all athletes experienced anxiety and threat perception, and used varied coping
strategies, with a preference for adaptative strategies. Female athletes displayed higher levels of anxiety and threat
perception, in addition to a greater use of diverse emotion- and problem-focused coping strategies; male athletes
reported a greater substance abuse. Younger athletes seemed to use less efficacious coping strategies, and
athletes from individual sports reported higher levels of anxiety, threat perception and venting of emotions;
athletes from team sports reported a greater use of humor and substances.