Initial development and validation of the Italian version of the Coaching Life Skills in Sport Questionnaire (IT-CLSS-Q)

Several studies have stated that coaches’ ability to teach life skills to their athletes intentionally is associated with various aspects of positive youth development. This study aimed to adapt and validate the English version of the Coaching Life Skills in Sport Questionnaire in the Italian context (IT-CLSS-Q), a tool developed to assess the intentionality of coaches in teaching and transferring life skills through sport. The original English version was adapted to Italian using the back-translation procedure. A sample of 590 youth sport coaches completed the IT-CLSS-Q. The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the five-factor structure of the original questionnaire, and the reliability analyses demonstrated high internal consistency for all subscales. Measurement invariance testing showed consistency between groups with different coaching experience, while significant correlations with empathy and leadership self-efficacy supported the construct validity of the questionnaire. Overall, the results indicate that IT-CLSS-Q is a useful tool for evaluating life skills coaching in Italy, providing a foundation for future research and interventions to improve positive youth development through sport. Future research should include a more balanced representation of disciplines and genders, integrating athletes’ perspectives and longitudinal studies to deepen understanding of the long-term impact of life skills transfer.