Confirmatory factor analysis to validate the short version of the Ottawa mental skill for sports (OMSAT-3) in Portuguese athletes

Introduction: The development of psychological skills plays an important role in improving performance and achieving excellent results in sports. Objective: The aim of this study was to validate the Portuguese short version of the Ottawa Mental Skills Assessment Tool (OMSAT-3). Methodology: By means of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), a total of 524 Portuguese athletes of both sexes aged between 12 and 42 (M = 19.21; SD = 5.46) were recruited for the present study. Results: The results indicate that the reduced version of the OMSAT-3 (30 items) has adequate psychometric qualities, enabling an assessment of Foundation, Psychosomatic and Cognitive Skills (SRMR = 0.052; CFI = 0.983; TLI = 0.979; RMSEA = 0.031 CI 90% [0.026, 0.037]; χ²/df = 1.52). There was high concurrent validity between the reduced version (30 items) and the full version (48 items). Conclusions: The results suggest that the reduced OMSAT-3 can be used with confidence to assess psychological skills in a sports context.