The Coach–Athlete Relationship and Self-Talk in Turkish Athletes

Abstract

Background: The first purpose of the study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Automatic Self-Talk Questionnaire for Sports (ASTQS) in the Turkish language and the secondary purpose was to examine the relationship between the quality of the coach–athlete relationship and athletes’ self-talk. Methods: 477 athletes (females = 252, males = 225) completed the Turkish versions of the Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) and the ASTQS. Results: ASTQS showed good psychometric properties in the Turkish language. Findings on the construct validity of the scale were consistent with the original scale’s 8-factor structure. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from 0.65 to 0.91. Furthermore, path analysis results showed that closeness had a direct effect on disengagement, psych-up, and anxiety control. The commitment had a direct effect on somatic fatigue, and complementarity had a direct effect on worry, confidence, and instruction. Conclusions: Finally, the results from the present study indicated that the Automatic Self-Talk Questionnaire provided a reliable and valid measure for Turkish athletes. The results revealed the importance of the coach–athlete relationship in sport and its’ role in shaping athletes’ self-talk.

Positive and negative spontaneous self-talk and performance in gymnastics: The role of contextual, personal and situational factors

“…In fact, some studies, like the one developed by Thibodeaux and Winsler [19], found that higher levels of perceived coach mastery climate coincided with more reported use of positive self-talk. In this line, the recent study developed by Ada et al [20] found that the quality of coach-athlete relationships is related to the use of more positive self-talk and negatively to negative self-talk in sport. These works highlight the relevance of coach behaviors in the use of more positive organic self-talk.…”