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The purpose of this study was to describe the manner in which skilled athletes interpreted and coped with various sources of acute stress experienced during sport competition. For each of eight sources of acute stress, male (n = 174) and female (n = 77) Israeli athletes were asked to assess the extent of using 12 different cognitive appraisals, based on Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) appraisal model. The appraisals were compared to the athletes' subsequent use of coping strategies, using the approach and avoidance coping framework (Roth & Cohen, 1986). Repeated measures ANOVA compared the appraisal categories of harm/ loss, threat, challenge, and the coping categories of approach and avoidance across the eight stressors, with gender as a between-participant factor There was a significant appraisal by stressor interaction (p < .001), with significant main effects for stressor and appraisal and a significant interaction between appraisal category and gender (p< .02). Females experienced more threat and fewer harm or challenge appraisals than males. A 12 (appraisal items) x 2 (gender) x 8 (stressors) repeated measures MANOVA revealed a significant main effect of appraisal item (p<.001), and a significant appraisal item by stressor interaction (p<. 001). In addition, approach coping strategies were significantly related to each of the three appraisal categories of harm, threat, and challenge. However, correlations between categories of appraisal and coping for each source of stress indicated that these relationships differed as a function of the source of stress. The results ofthis study confirmed that cognitive appraisals of stressful events influence subsequent use of coping strategies. Additional quantitative and qualitative research is needed to understand the underlying personal and situational factors that influence appraisals and coping in competitive sport, and the development of validated inventories that measure these constructs.
Traditionally, the coping process following a stressful event has been depicted as engaging in a cognitive appraisal of the stressor followed by consciously enacting a coping strategy in attempting to reduce the stressor's perceived intensity or in building one's resources or abilities to deal with it (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Cognitive appraisal consists of two factors, the individual's initial interpretations about what is at stake for the individual, and whether the environment is stressful or relevant to the person's well-being (Dewe, 1993). Personal (e.g., perceived intensity...