The validation of direct and meta versions of the coach–athlete relationship questionnaire (ArCART-Q) in the Arabic language: their relationship to athlete’s satisfaction with individual performance

Background: The first aim of this study is to achieve validation of the direct and meta-perspective versions of the Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire in the Arabic language, and the second aim of this study is to determine the quality of the coach-athlete relationship to athlete’ satisfaction with individual performance according to sport participation type, sport duration, and sport achievement. Methods: A total of 259 athletes with a mean age of 22 years were recruited from various athletic clubs in Kuwait. Participants completed The Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire and The Athlete Satisfaction Questionnaire. For this study, the factorial structure of the Arabic version of the Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) was used in Kuwait and was prepared with both direct and meta perspectives. Results: The results of this study show evidence of the validity of the direct and meta-perspective Arabic versions of the CART-Q. The fit indices of the data collected by direct-method were as follows (x²/df = 2.21; RMSEA = 0.06; CFI = 0.98; GFI = 0.95; AGFI = 0.91); data for the meta-method were as follows (x²/df = 2.32; RMSEA = 0.08; CFI = 0.99; GFI = 0.93; AGFI = 0.87). Female participants have obtained higher means than males from all questionnaires. Conclusions: The results of the present study could help coaches and athletes from the Middle East to understand the reasons and methods that lead to a quality coach–athlete relationship.