Development and validation of the Attention Questionnaire of Rehabilitated Athletes Returning to Competition

Abstract

The present study describes the development and validation of an instrument designed to examine athletes' selective attention returning to competition following a musculoskeletal injury – the Attention Questionnaire of Rehabilitated Athletes Returning to Competition (AQ-RARC). Using a sample of 186 rehabilitated athletes, exploratory factor analysis revealed a 10-item model that examines functional attention and distraction attention. Confirmatory factor analysis further supported the factorial validity of the AQ-RARC with another sample of 184 rehabilitated athletes. The two subscales have good internal consistency and test–retest reliability. The concurrent and discriminant validity of the new instrument were confirmed by examining correlations between the AQ-RARC with other constructs. It is concluded that the AQ-RARC is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used for clinical and research purposes.

Keywords:

• attention
• questionnaire
• validity
• reliability
• sport injury

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their useful comments on a previous version of this manuscript. This work was funded by the Alexandros S. Onasis Scholarships Foundation.