Abstract

This study examined coping, which is regarded as a critical mediating factor of stress among athletes in some West African universities using the ways of coping in sport sub-scales of problem focused coping; seeking social support general emotionality, increased effort and resolve, detachment, denial, wishful thinking and emphasising the positive. The descriptive survey research design was used in this study. A 4-pointlikert type questionnaire of ways of coping with sport with reliability coefficient of r = .87 was used to collect data from 587 participants selected for the study. Their mean age was 24.04 ± 3.62SD. The t-test analysis revealed a significant difference (P<.05) on the variables of problem focus coping and increased effort and resolved ways of coping when the athletes were compared by sex. While the analysis of variance also revealed a significant difference (P<.05) in the categorisation of the athletes’ sports into three independent criterion variables on all the coping factors. While thecorrelational analysis revealed significant relationship P<.05 among the variables, with the exception of the relationship between the coping variables of detachment andemphasising the positive. The ways of coping techniques was found to be moreutilised by athletes from the Anglophone universities when compared with their francophone counterparts. Also, the male athletes of both Anglophone and Francophone countries made use of the coping techniques more than their female counterparts. However, since the major factor in regulating the stressfulness of competition is on the individual athlete’s ability to cope, coping techniques as a means of adjusting the effects of stress will assist to improve performance in sporting situations.

Key words: Coping, athletes, stress, sport groups, West African Universities.