Antisocial sport behaviors survey: instrument development and initial validation

Area of Science:

• Sports Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Measurement in Psychology

Background:

• Antisocial behavior in sports negatively impacts athletes and teams.
• Existing measures may not fully capture the complexity of antisocial sport behaviors.
• Theoretical frameworks like social cognitive theory and interpersonal theory inform the understanding of such behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a self-report instrument, the Antisocial Sport Behavior Survey (ASBS).
• To measure antisocial sport behavior among diverse samples of competitive athletes.
• To provide a reliable tool for advancing research on athlete conduct.

Main Methods:

• Instrument development based on construct validity and classical test theory.
• Phase 1: Confirmatory factor analysis with 272 college athletes to establish theoretical structure.
• Phase 3: Validation studies with 340 college athletes to assess structural and external validity.

Main Results:

• A theoretical structure of antisocial sport behavior was confirmed, comprising eight factors: hypercompetitive, intimidating, antagonistic, disrespectful, exploitable, overly accommodating, abetting, and melodramatic.
• The Antisocial Sport Behavior Survey (ASBS) demonstrated evidence of structural and external validity.
• The instrument is suitable for use with college-aged competitive sport participants.

Conclusions:

• The Antisocial Sport Behavior Survey (ASBS) is a promising new instrument for measuring antisocial behavior in athletes.
• This validated tool can enhance the understanding of specific antisocial acts committed by competitive athletes.
• Further research utilizing the ASBS can contribute to interventions aimed at reducing negative conduct in sports.