# Understanding Athlete Emotions: A Psychometric Approach to the AEQ-S in Sports

## TL;DR

This study adapts and validates a questionnaire to measure emotions in athletes, confirming its reliability and relevance in the Spanish sports context.

## Contribution

The AEQ-S was successfully adapted for Spanish athletes, confirming its factor structure and reliability in this specific population.

## Key findings

- The AEQ-S factor structure in sports aligns with the original version, identifying eight key emotions.
- Positive emotions correlate with resilience, while negative emotions show an inverse relationship.

## Abstract

Introduction: This study focuses on the adaptation and validation of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-Short (AEQ-S) to the Spanish sports context. Emotions play a crucial role in athletes’ decision making, making it essential to have reliable assessment tools tailored to this field. Method: The AEQ-S was administered to 998 professional athletes (mean age: 26.83 years). The adaptation followed the Hambleton method and involved the support of sports psychologists. Exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were conducted, along with tests for reliability and criterion validity. Results: The analyses confirmed that the factor structure of the AEQ-S in sports aligns with the original version, identifying eight key emotions: enjoyment, hope, pride, anxiety, anger, shame, hopelessness, and boredom. Furthermore, positive emotions were positively associated with resilience, while negative emotions showed an inverse relationship. Conclusions: The adapted AEQ-S proved to be a valid and reliable tool for assessing emotions in athletes. Its applications extend to both research and professional practice in the sports domain.