Psychometric Evidence of the Coping Inventory for Brazilian Paralympic Athletes in Competition Situations

Abstract

Abstract Paralympic athletes face stressful situations in sports competitions daily, and assessing how they cope with these situations is important. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Coping Inventory for Brazilian Paralympic Athletes in Competition Situations. This study included 531 Brazilian Paralympic athletes aged 18 years or older, of both sexes, living in different Brazilian regions. They competed nationally or internationally and had physical or visual disabilities. Athletes with cerebral palsy were excluded. The participants answered a data questionnaire and the coping inventory. A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a 12-theoretical dimension structure: six adaptive (Self-Reliance, Support-Seeking, Problem-Solving, Information-Seeking, Accommodation, Negotiation) and six maladaptive dimensions (Delegation, Social Isolation, Helplessness, Escape, Submission, and Opposition). Reliability indexes ranged between 0.60 and 0.94. The conclusion is that the instrument is reliable for assessing coping strategies among Brazilian Paralympic athletes.