Predicting sport achievement in contact and noncontact sports in terms of sport stress coping styles

The present study aimed to investigate sport achievement in contact and non-contact sports with regards to sport stress coping styles in a sample of Iranian athletes. Mehtods: Method of this descriptive study was correlational and the statistical society included all contact and non-contact athletes in student and national competitive levels. 181 volunteer athletes (81 atheletes of contact sports, 100 atheletes of non-contact sports) in different fields of sport participated in this study. All participants were asked to complete Sport Coping Styles Scale (SCSS) and Sport Achievement Scale (SAS). Analysis of the data was done using correlation coefficient and analysis of regression in SPSS 16. Approach and avoidant coping styles had negative and positive association with sport achievement in both contact and non-contact sports, respectively. Sport achievement was predicted by approach coping style in both contact and non-contact sports. In non-contact sports, however, sport achievement was predicted only by avoidant coping style. On the basis of the results, it can be concluded that sport achievement can be predicted by approach and avoidant coping styles in different ways; in contact sports, the probaility of sport achievement would be reduced by approach coping style, while in non-contact sports, the probability of sport achievement would be increased by avoidant coping style.