Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2)

Abstract

The Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) is a specialized psychometric instrument designed to measure pre-competition or state anxiety experienced by athletes. Developed as an evolution of the original Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (CSAI), the CSAI-2 employs a multidimensional approach, differentiating between three core components of Competitive State Anxiety: Cognitive Anxiety, Somatic Anxiety, and Self-Confidence. This inventory is widely utilized in Sport Psychology research and applied settings to understand the complex relationship between competitive stress and athletic performance.

Keywords

CSAI-2, Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, Sport Psychology, Cognitive Anxiety, Somatic Anxiety, Self-Confidence, Athletic Performance, Stress Measurement.

Authors

Robert Martens, Damon Burton, F. Rivkin, J. Simon (Original CSAI); Robert Martens, Robin S. Vealey, Damon Burton (CSAI-2); Richard H. Cox, Matthew P. Martens, William D. Russell (CSAI-2R).

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the CSAI-2 is to provide a comprehensive, reliable, and valid measure of the psychological and physiological responses experienced by athletes immediately prior to or during competitive events. Unlike general anxiety measures, the CSAI-2 is context-specific, allowing researchers and practitioners to pinpoint the nature of the athlete’s anxiety response.

The scale is instrumental in testing the predictions of the Multidimensional Anxiety Theory, which posits that the cognitive and somatic components of anxiety have differential effects on performance (i.e., cognitive anxiety is negatively correlated with performance, while somatic anxiety follows an inverted-U relationship, and Self-Confidence is positively correlated).

Construct

The CSAI-2 measures competitive state anxiety based on a tripartite factor structure, reflecting the athlete’s immediate emotional and physical state regarding an upcoming competition. These three distinct subscales are:

• Cognitive Anxiety: This component relates to negative expectations, worries, and concerns about performance, potential failure, and negative social evaluation (e.g., “I am concerned about losing”).
• Somatic Anxiety: This component reflects the physiological and affective elements of the anxiety experience, characterized by perceived physical arousal, tension, and unpleasant bodily symptoms (e.g., “My heart is racing,” “My body feels tense”).
• Self-Confidence: This is the functional component that measures the athlete’s belief or expectation of successfully meeting the challenges of the competition and performing effectively (e.g., “I feel self-confident,” “I’m confident I can meet the challenge”).

Validity

The validity of the CSAI-2, particularly in its original 27-item format, has been extensively studied in Sport Psychology. Studies generally support the construct validity through confirmatory factor analysis, confirming the theoretical separation of the three subscales (Cognitive Anxiety, Somatic Anxiety, and Self-Confidence). Criterion-related validity has been demonstrated by showing expected relationships between subscale scores and actual athletic performance outcomes. For instance, high scores on Cognitive Anxiety typically correlate negatively with performance, while high Self-Confidence scores correlate positively.

Reliability

The CSAI-2 demonstrates acceptable to strong internal consistency across its three subscales, typically measured using Cronbach’s alpha. Original research by Martens, Vealey, and Burton (1990) indicated reliable internal consistency for all three dimensions. The revised version, the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory–2 Revised (CSAI-2R), developed by Cox, Martens, and Russell (2003), further refined the item pool to enhance the psychometric properties, focusing on improved internal reliability and structural clarity, particularly in distinguishing between Cognitive Anxiety and Somatic Anxiety items.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the CSAI-2 was derived through factor analytic techniques, establishing it as a multidimensional scale. The original 27-item version consistently yielded three distinct, albeit correlated, factors corresponding to the theoretical constructs: Cognitive Anxiety, Somatic Anxiety, and Self-Confidence. The subsequent CSAI-2R (2003) reduced the item count from 27 to 17 items (Somatic Anxiety: 7 items; Cognitive Anxiety: 5 items; Self-Confidence: 5 items) based on further factor analysis aimed at eliminating redundant or poorly loading items, thereby providing a more parsimonious and psychometrically robust measure while maintaining the confirmed three-factor structure.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire, State Anxiety Inventory

Format: 27 items (CSAI-2) or 17 items (CSAI-2R), utilizing a 4-point Likert scale.

Language Available: Primarily English, though translated versions exist across various languages for international Sport Psychology research.

Population Group: Athletes involved in competitive sports.

Age Group: Typically adolescent and adult athletes (high school age and older).

Population Details: Applicable across various sports and competition levels, used to assess emotional state immediately preceding competition.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate how they feel “right now” or “in relation to the upcoming competition” using the following response options:

1. Not At All
2. Somewhat
3. Moderately So
4. Very Much So

The scoring involves summing the scores for items within each subscale. Note that item 14 (“My body feels relaxed”) in the original CSAI-2 is reverse coded to maintain consistency with the anxiety direction.

Keywords

Competitive anxiety, Sport measurement, Psychological scale, CSAI-2, Psychometrics, Athletic stress, State anxiety, Self-efficacy.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in the source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in the source material.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence generally directed to the respective institutions of the authors at the time of publication (e.g., Human Kinetics for Martens).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (CSAI) was introduced around 1980, evolving from Martens’ earlier work, the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) (1977). The CSAI-2 was formalized in Martens, Vealey, and Burton (1990). The Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory–2 (CSAI-2R) was published by Cox, Martens, and Russell in 2003. Information regarding commercial fees or specific permissions for use is generally governed by the scale developers or original publishers (Human Kinetics).

The original PDF instruments can be downloaded here: http://www.mrgillpe.com/uploads/1/2/9/2/12922833/csai2.pdf and http://fitnessforlife.org/AcuCustom/Sitename/Documents/DocumentItem/2601.pdf.

Reference’s

The development and validation of the CSAI-2 and its revisions rely on foundational work in competitive anxiety, including:

• Martens, R. (1977). Sport Competition Anxiety Test. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
• Martens, R., Burton, D., Rivkin, F., & Simon, J. (1980). Reliability and validity of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (CSAI). In C.H. Nadeau, W.C., Halliwell, K.M. (Incomplete reference provided in source).
• Martens, R., Vealey, R.S., & Burton, D. (1990) Competitive anxiety in sport, Human Kinetics: Champaign, IL.
• Cox, Richard H., Martens, Matthew P., and Russell, William D. (2003). Measuring Anxiety in Athletics: The Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory–2. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 25, 519- 533.

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Items of the Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2)

Scoring Key (CSAI):

• Cognitive State Anxiety: Sum items 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, and 25.
• Somatic State Anxiety: Sum items 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 (reverse coded), 17, 20, 23, and 26.
• Self-Confidence: Sum items 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, and 27.

Scoring Key (CSAI-2R):

• Somatic Anxiety: Items 1, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 17.
• Cognitive Anxiety: Items 2, 5, 8, 11, 14.
• Self-Confidence: Items 3, 7, 10, 13, 16.

The 27 items of the Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory-2 are:

1. I am concerned about this competition
2. I feel nervous.
3. I feel at ease.
4. I have self-doubts.
5. I feel jittery.
6. I feel comfortable.
7. I am concerned that I may not do as well in this competition as I could do.
8. My body feels tense.
9. I feel self-confident.
10. I am concerned about losing.
11. I feel tense in my stomach.
12. I feel secure.
13. I am concerned about choking under pressure.
14. My body feels relaxed.* (reverse coded)
15. I’m confident I can meet the challenged
16. I’m concerned about performing poorly.
17. My heart is racing.
18. I’m confident about performing well.
19. I’m concerned about reaching my goal.
20. I feel my stomach sinking.
21. I feel mentally relaxed.
22. I’m concerned that others will be disappointed with my performance.
23. My hands are clammy.
24. I’m confident because I mentally picture myself reaching my goal.
25. I’m concerned I won’t be able to concentrate.
26. My body feels tight.
27. I’m confident coming through under pressure.