Abstract

The aim of this study was to modify the original Coping Inventory for Competitive Sport instrument to explore its factor structure for use as a dispositional coping measure and to determine if the factor structure is comparable across Division I and Division II athletes. A sample of 596 male and female athletes, ranging in age from 18 to 23 years old, were administered the Dispositional Coping Inventory for Competitive Sport. The DCICS assesses an athlete’s typical utilization of 10 coping strategies within the competitive sport environment. Internal reliability for the ten scales varied between .60 and .80. Fit indices for the original 39-item, 10 factor model did not indicate a good fit for the data. However, removal of two items from the distancing scale significantly improved the fit of the data. Therefore, results confirmed a modified 37-item 10 factor model instrument for measuring dispositional coping. Invariance testing indicated between-group factor invariance can be assumed for the DCICS across NCAA Division I and Division II athletes, suggesting the factor structure of the DCICS is comparable across athletes participating in sports at different levels of competition. Applications of the DCICS and future research directions are discussedd. Verf.-Referat