Sport Anxiety Scale – SAS
A multidimensional self-report measure of cognitive and somatic trait anxiety in sport performance contexts.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Sport Anxiety Scale – SAS was developed by Ronald E. Smith, Frank L. Smoll, Robert W. Schutz (1990). It is designed to measure Sport Performance Anxiety. The scale is intended for use with Athletes.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 21 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Worry, Concentration Disruption, Somatic Trait Anxiety.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Worry | 3,5,9,10,13,16,18 | 7 |
| Concentration Disruption | 2,6,7,14,20 | 5 |
| Somatic Trait Anxiety | 1,4,8,11,12,15,17,19,21 | 9 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not At All, 2 = Somewhat, 3 = Moderately So, 4 = Very Much So.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 21 to 84. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Anxiety: 21 – 42
- Moderate Anxiety: 43 – 63
- High Anxiety: 64 – 84
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Alpha values range from 0.70 to 0.90 for subscales.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.