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Validity and Reliability of the CSAI-2R in DPT Students.
Laura Favaro1,2,3,4,5,6, Zhaohua Guan1,2,3,4,5,6, Christina Middleton1,2,3,4,5,6
1Laura Favaro is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Daemen University, Scott Bieler College of Health Professions, 4380 Main Street, Amherst, NY 14226 (lfavaro@daemen.edu). Please address all correspondence to Laura Favaro.
The revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (CSAI-2R) shows reliability and validity for assessing performance anxiety in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students. This tool can help identify students needing support for managing anxiety during their studies.
Area of Science:
- Health Professions Education
- Psychology
- Anxiety Measurement
Background:
- Anxiety is prevalent in health professions students, with higher rates than the general population.
- Performance anxiety can negatively impact academic and clinical functioning.
- Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students experience elevated anxiety levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the applicability of the revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (CSAI-2R) as a novel tool for assessing performance anxiety in DPT students.
- To examine the psychometric properties of the CSAI-2R in this specific student population.
Main Methods:
- Convenience samples of DPT students participated in electronic surveys.
- Test-retest reliability was assessed over 7-10 days during a low-stress period.
- Concurrent validity was evaluated by comparing CSAI-2R scores with the State Trait Anxiety Inventory-State (STAI-S) before a practical examination.
Main Results:
- The CSAI-2R demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.79-0.93).
- Statistically significant test-retest reliability was found (r = 0.53, P < .01).
- CSAI-2R subscales correlated moderately to highly with STAI-S scores (somatic r = 0.72, cognitive r = 0.85, self-confidence r = -0.76, all P < .01).
Conclusions:
- The CSAI-2R is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring performance anxiety in DPT students.
- This tool can aid faculty in identifying students experiencing performance anxiety.
- The CSAI-2R can help DPT students access resources for managing performance anxiety effectively.
