Relationship between cognitive appraisal and coping style following acute stress among male and female Turkish athletes

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between factors of two constructs, cognitive appraisal and coping style among Turkish athletes. Turkish athletes (N = 325) completed a two-part inventory called the coping style in sport survey (CSSS), which consisted of the athletes' appraisal of a stressful event and how they coped with this stressor. Theory-driven categories of appraisal and coping style were generated from the CSSS. Appraisals were labeled rumination, self-blame, and confidence, while coping styles were aggressiveness, discounting, and distraction. Results of confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and structural equation models (SEM) indicated that the correlations among factors of appraisal and coping style were significant, as were the use of different appraisals and coping styles between genders. The results of this study lend credence to the relationship between cognitive appraisal and coping style among adult male and female competitive athletes.