Optimism, pessimism, and coping in a dual-domain model of sport and school satisfaction.

Abstract

Adolescent student-athletes face stress in both academic and sport domains, yet little is known about the processes responsible for explaining satisfaction across domains. We examined a dual-domain model wherein optimism–pessimism are indirectly related to sport and school satisfaction through sport and school coping, respectively. Studentathletes (n 183, Mage 14.88 years) completed measures of optimism, pessimism, school coping, and school satisfaction before a final exam, as well as assessments of sport coping and sport satisfaction before a sport competition. Results of structural equation modeling supported our matching domain hypothesis: optimism was indirectly related to domain satisfaction through domain task-oriented coping, whereas pessimism was indirectly related to domain satisfaction through domain disengagement-oriented coping. No cross-domain effects were found. Optimistic student-athletes experience greater school and sport satisfaction as a consequence of their use of school and sport task-oriented coping strategies, respectively.