Athletic Coping Skills of Female Division I Volleyball Players

Abstract

A female volleyball athlete’s ability to cope within the competitive environment oftentimes determines the outcome of a match. Therefore, possessing a strong coping skill set necessary at this level of competition is essential for optimal performance potential. PURPOSE: To quantify the athletic coping skills of Division I female volleyball players. METHODS: Following written informed consent, 28 female volleyball players (mean age 19.7 ± 1.5) completed the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI; Smith et al., 1995): coping with adversity (COPE), peaking under pressure (PEAK), goal setting/mental preparation (GOAL), concentration (CONC), freedom from worry (FREE), confidence and achievement motivation (CONF), coachability (COAC), and personal coping resources (PCR). Data were grouped by athletic rank (top, bottom), present injury status (yes, no), and by academic level (upper class, lower class). RESULTS: MANOVAs (Wilks’ λ criterion) indicated significant main effects for athletic coping by athletic rank (F13,16 = 5.046; P = 0.002), but no significant main effects across present injury status (F24,5 = 1.711; P = 0.161) or academic level (F14,15 = 0.545; P = 0.791). Post hoc analyses (T scores; T = 50, SD = 10) indicated that top-ranked athletes responded significantly higher in COPE (55 vs 42; p < 0.001), PEAK (53 vs 44; p = 0.001), GOAL (54 vs 44; p = 0.006), and CONC (53 vs 48; p = 0.025), CONF (54 vs 46; p = 0.001), COAC (52, 39; p = 0.001), and PCR (56 vs 41; p < 0.001) than bottom-ranked peers, respectively. There was also a trend for athletes experiencing trauma to respond more positively in COPE, PEAK, GOAL, CONC, FREE, CONF, and PCR than non- injured peers. Of concern, athletic coping skills among this group were below average when compared to normative values across other athletic populations. CONCLUSION: Although findings were influenced by limited sample size, results still support the recommendation that volleyball athletes incorporate psychological skills training into their workout routines that specifically target athletic coping skills. Further research is warranted to assess coping skills within a larger volleyball population, to assess coping skills in athletes recovering from injuries, as well as to quantify the efficacy of coping skills interventions on volleyball performance.