China's soccer has experienced rapid growth in a short period of time. With a high national interest in raising the level of Chinese soccer to compete on the world stage, aspiring soccer players are putting great effort into becoming excellent athlete...
China's soccer has experienced rapid growth in a short period of time. With a high national interest in raising the level of Chinese soccer to compete on the world stage, aspiring soccer players are putting great effort into becoming excellent athletes. However, these players face intense competition as they strive for good results, and their abilities are socially evaluated. As a result, they naturally experience exercise-related stress, and those who cannot overcome it may suffer a decline in performance and even an uncertain future in terms of their ability to sustain their athletic careers. In this context, it is necessary to observe the causes and phenomena of exercise-related stress among Chinese soccer players in order to promote their psychological well-being, player
engagement, and sustained athletic activity. However, there is a lack of valid objective measures to diagnose exercise-related stress specifically for Chinese soccer players, and thus the reliability of the provided information is limited. Particularly, there is a lack of scales to provide information on exercise-related stress for university soccer players who are on the verge of entering professional leagues, which limits the availability of data for psychological interventions for Chinese university soccer players. This study aimed to develop an exercise-related stress scale for Chinese university soccer players. To achieve this, an online survey was conducted among 616 individuals involved in university soccer from Sichuan and Chongqing. The study followed a five-step process (preliminary item construction, Delphi validation, evidence based on response process, evidence based on internal structure, and scale fit) using the test theory. Relevant analysis techniques were applied to analyze the collected data, leading to the following results:
First, the exercise-related stress scale for Chinese university soccer players was developed through an inductive analysis, resulting in a total of 43 preliminary items grouped into four categories: interpersonal relationships (13 items), psychological (7 items), physical (11 items), and environmental (12 items).
Second, in the second step of the process, the Delphi validation revealed that in the first step, three items (2, 7, 43 items) of the exercise-related stress scale for Chinese university soccer players were found to be inappropriate. In the second step, 14 items (9, 10, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 25, 33, 34, 35, 37, 42 items) did not reach the criteria and were subsequently removed. As a result, a total of 26 items were retained, representing four factors: interpersonal relationships (7 items), psychological (4 items), physical (6 items), and environmental (9 items) for the exercise-related stress scale of Chinese university soccer players.
Third, when examining the evidence based on the response process for the exercise-related stress scale of Chinese university soccer players, the reliability analysis met the criteria. Additionally, the item response bias analysis, including kurtosis, skewness, mean and standard deviation, and correlation coefficients among total scores, all met the criteria as well.
Fourth, based on the evidence derived from the internal structure of the exercise-related stress scale for Chinese university soccer players, one item (item 1) that did not reach the criteria for model fit and multicollinearity was removed, and a reanalysis was conducted. As a result, a total of 25 items were retained, representing four factors: interpersonal relationships (7 items), psychological (4 items), physical (5 items), and environmental (9 items) for the completed exercise-related stress scale of Chinese university soccer players. The model fit indices, path coefficients, convergent validity, and discriminant validity all met the criteria.
Fifth, during the validation of the fit of the exercise-related stress scale for Chinese university soccer players, the 5-point response categories did not meet the criteria in category 1 for the interpersonal relationships and physical factors, while they were satisfactory for the psychological and environmental factors. The item fit analysis showed that item 14 of the interpersonal relationships factor exhibited a residual fit index above the threshold, indicating its inadequacy. In terms of differential item functioning based on gender, two items from the interpersonal relationships factor (6 items, 23 items), one item from the psychological factor (24 items), and one item from the physical factor (36 items) showed discrimination at different levels.