Attitudes Toward Sport Psychology Consulting in Athletes: Understanding the Role of Culture and Personality

The purpose of this study was to investigate how an athlete's Eastern-Western cultural affiliation and personality are related to their perception of sport psychology and attitude toward consultation with a sport psychology practitioner. Two hundred and nineteen athletes from Western and Eastern cultures completed the Sport Psychology Attitudes-Revised form (SPA-R; Martin et al., 2002) and the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI; Costa & McCrae, 1992). Multivariate analysis of covariance revealed that Western athletes had lesser stigma toward sport psychology consulting, greater personal openness, and lesser preference for a consultant of the same race or culture than Eastern athletes. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that lower openness and conscientiousness predicted greater stigma toward sport psychology consulting; higher neuroticism, conscientiousness, and openness predicted greater confidence in sport psychology consulting; and lower openness predicted greater preference for working with a sport psychology consultant of the same race or culture. These findings may prove valuable to applied sport psychology practitioners, and aim to help them better understand the athletes and athletic population to whom they offer their services.