The athletic identity measurement scale beyond Western context: psychometric evaluation of its dimension, factor structure, and gender invariance in South Korea

Research has endeavoured to quantitatively assess athletic identity over the past three decades, yet psychometric limitations of existing measures persist, particularly in non-Western contexts. To address this, the psychometric properties of one widely used measure of athletic identity, the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), in a sample of 384 South Korean student-athletes (146 women) was investigated. Results indicated good model fit for a unidimensional 4-item structure, (χ²[2] = 2.09, p = .35, CFI = .999, RMSEA = .016 [90% CI: .00–.14], SRMR = .014), with gender invariance demonstrated through multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. The unidimensionality observed diverges from previously established multidimensional models, though is supported empirically and theoretically. Findings provide important international perspectives by including gender-balanced samples to validate a culturally adapted version of the AIMS. Additional validation studies are necessary to establish broader applicability across diverse sport populations.