Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2)

Abstract

The Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) is a prominent psychometric instrument used extensively in sport psychology to assess state anxiety experienced by athletes in competitive environments. Developed in 1990 by Rainer Martens and his team, the CSAI-2 provides a multidimensional perspective on competitive worry, distinguishing it from general anxiety measures. The original 27-item, self-report questionnaire segments competitive state anxiety into three critical components: Cognitive anxiety, Somatic anxiety, and Self-confidence. This structure makes the scale essential for practitioners and coaches aiming to diagnose and manage pre-competition or in-competition psychological stress.

Keywords

Competitive anxiety, Sport psychology, Cognitive anxiety, Somatic anxiety, Self-confidence, State anxiety, Athletic performance, Psychometrics, Martens, Athlete assessment.

Authors

Rainer Martens, Deborah Burton, Frank Rivkin, Jim Simon, Robin S. Vealey, Richard H. Cox, Matthew P. Martens, William D. Russell.

Purpose

The central objective of the CSAI-2 is to offer a comprehensive, multidimensional assessment of competitive state anxiety specifically as it manifests in athletes immediately before or during competitive events. By delineating anxiety into its distinct psychological and physiological components—cognitive and somatic anxiety—alongside a measurement of positive affect (self-confidence), the instrument allows practitioners to pinpoint the precise factors impeding an athlete’s potential for optimal performance.

Beyond simple diagnosis, the scale is a vital tool in applied sport psychology. It facilitates the identification of athletes struggling with debilitating levels of competitive worry. Crucially, the CSAI-2 provides measurable metrics for evaluating the efficacy of psychological interventions, such as relaxation techniques or cognitive restructuring, by tracking changes in the subscale scores over the course of a therapeutic or training program.

Construct

The CSAI-2 conceptualizes competitive state anxiety as a complex, multidimensional construct. It is designed to capture three independent yet interrelated dimensions that collectively define the athlete’s psychological state during competition. Unlike earlier unidimensional models, the CSAI-2’s structure acknowledges that anxiety symptoms manifest across cognitive (mental) and somatic (physical) domains, with self-confidence serving as a critical moderating factor.

• Cognitive Anxiety: This subscale quantifies the mental component of competitive stress. It encompasses negative thoughts, expectations of failure, performance worries, and concerns about the ability to maintain focus and concentration. High scores here reflect fears of “choking” under pressure or failing to meet personal standards.
• Somatic Anxiety: This dimension assesses the physiological and physical manifestations of state anxiety. It captures the bodily symptoms associated with tension and arousal, including elevated heart rate, muscle rigidity, gastrointestinal distress (e.g., butterflies in the stomach), and other physical signs of stress.
• Self-Confidence: While not a measure of negative affect, this subscale is integral to the CSAI-2 model. It measures the athlete’s positive belief in their capacity to execute skills successfully, meet the competitive challenge, and achieve desired outcomes. It is consistently found to be inversely correlated with both cognitive and somatic anxiety, making it a powerful predictor of athletic performance.

Validity

The CSAI-2 has demonstrated robust evidence supporting its validity across extensive literature in sport psychology. Its construct validity is well-established, supported by empirical findings that confirm the scale’s ability to reliably isolate and measure the three theoretically distinct dimensions—cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and self-confidence—which define the competitive state anxiety construct.

Furthermore, the inventory exhibits strong discriminant validity, allowing researchers and practitioners to effectively differentiate between athletes experiencing high levels of performance-debilitating anxiety and those maintaining a functional state, often correlating these distinctions with actual competitive outcomes. Crucially, the CSAI-2’s primary strength lies in its sensitivity to situational fluctuations, demonstrating significantly higher anxiety scores when administered immediately prior to competition compared to baseline measurements, thereby confirming its utility as a true measure of acute competitive state anxiety.

Reliability

The measurement consistency of the CSAI-2 is widely regarded as good, reinforcing its status as a stable and dependable measure of competitive state anxiety. Studies have consistently verified the high internal consistency of the three subscales, confirming that the items within the cognitive, somatic, and self-confidence dimensions are cohesively measuring their respective underlying constructs.

In addition to internal consistency, the CSAI-2 has also shown acceptable test-retest reliability. When the instrument is administered to athletes under comparable competitive circumstances across different testing occasions, the resulting scores tend to remain stable, confirming the inventory’s consistency as a reliable psychological measurement tool in dynamic athletic environments.

Factor Analysis

The foundational development of the CSAI-2 by Rainer Martens and his colleagues successfully established a robust and stable three-factor structure through exploratory factor analysis. This structure validated the multidimensional theory of competitive anxiety, confirming the separate existence of the cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and self-confidence subscales, which was a significant advancement over previous unidimensional scales.

Building upon this foundation, subsequent rigorous research, notably by Cox, Martens, and Russell (2003), utilized Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to refine the scale. This process resulted in the development of the Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory–2 (CSAI-2R). The CSAI-2R is a shorter, 17-item instrument that retained the original three-factor model while demonstrating enhanced psychometric properties and superior model fit indices, making it a more efficient tool for research and applied settings.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric Self-Report Questionnaire (State Anxiety Measure)

Format: The original CSAI-2 consists of 27 items, while the revised CSAI-2R uses 17 items. Both versions are administered using a 4-point Likert scale, where responses range from 1 (Not At All) to 4 (Very Much So).

Language Available: Primarily English, with translations available in numerous languages due to its wide international acceptance in research settings.

Population Group: Competitive Athletes

Age Group: Adolescent and Adult Athletes (typically high school age and older)

Population Details: The scale is appropriate for individuals participating in organized, competitive sports who are expected to experience acute pre-competition or in-competition anxiety.

Test Methodology: The CSAI-2 is typically administered in close temporal proximity to the competitive event (e.g., 30 minutes before) to ensure the capture of acute state anxiety. The scoring process requires summing the item scores for each of the three subscales (Somatic Anxiety, Cognitive Anxiety, and Self-Confidence). It is critical to note that specific items, such as item 14 on the original scale, require reverse coding before calculation.

Keywords

CSAI-2, CSAI-2R, Competitive state anxiety, Performance prediction, Athlete assessment, Psychometric scales, Multidimensional anxiety, Cognitive restructuring.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Typically associated with Human Kinetics, the original publisher of the associated texts)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original version of the CSAI-2 was published in 1990, with the refined CSAI-2R revision following in 2003. Formal permission is mandatory for utilizing the CSAI-2 or CSAI-2R in research, educational, or commercial contexts. Users should direct inquiries regarding usage rights and associated fees to the estate of Rainer Martens or to Human Kinetics Publishing, which maintains the rights to the scale and its associated instructional materials.

The original PDF instruments are sometimes available for academic or personal reference. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.mrgillpe.com/uploads/1/2/9/2/12922833/csai2.pdf and here: http://fitnessforlife.org/AcuCustom/Sitename/Documents/DocumentItem/2601.pdf

Reference’s

• 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. (Note: Full citation missing).
• 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.

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

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

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.*
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.

* reverse coded