Validation of the sexual prejudice in sport scale in Brazil and Portugal

This study examines sexual prejudice in sport within Brazilian and Portuguese contexts, cross-culturally validating the Scale of Sexual Prejudice in Sport (SPSS). The study included 618 university student-athletes (348 Brazilian; 270 Portuguese). Confirmatory factor analysis corroborated the three-factor structure of the instrument in both countries, with adequate fit indices. Male athletes demonstrated greater sexual prejudice in both countries (p < .05), reinforcing the heteronormative nature of the sporting environment. Right-wing political orientation emerged as a significant predictor of negative attitudes in both samples, while religiosity proved significant only in Portugal (β = .185, p < .01). Important differences were observed regarding political interest: in Brazil, greater interest was associated with elevated levels of prejudice (ε² = .033, p < .01), contrasting with Portugal. Hierarchical regressions revealed that attitudes toward lesbians and gays constituted the strongest predictor of sexual prejudice in both Brazil (β = -.475, p < .001) and Portugal (β = -.256, p < .001). The results contribute to the understanding of sexual prejudice in sport in Portuguese-speaking countries and suggest the need for specific interventions considering the sociocultural particularities of each context.