Type of sport played and motivation orientation as predictors of subjective well-being in college athletes
Abstract
The present study investigated the relationship of subjective well-being in college student-athletes with the type of sport played and motivation for participation. Specifically, motivation was investigated as a possible mediating influence in the relationship between sport participation and subjective well-being. One hundred twenty-four undergraduate student athletes, ranging in age from 18 to 23, participating in a sport requiring interpersonal support, physical exertion, or emotional arousal, were assessed for participation motivation, subjective well-being, and academic adjustment. Specific sports included basketball, football, long-distance running, and soccer. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the results. Analyses of variance revealed that those student athletes participating in a sport requiring physical exertion had significantly higher physical well-being than athletes in the two other types of sport studied. None of the sports studied could be differentiated by their motivation for participation. Additionally, no evidence was found to suggest motivation as a mediating influence in the relationship between sport participation and subjective well-being. Most notable were the findings that those athletes participating in a sport requiring physical exertion reported the highest subjective well-being on all three domains of well-being studied (social, physical, emotional), in addition to reporting the highest academic adjustment. The results are discussed with respect to limitations, practical implications, and future research.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy|Developmental psychology
Recommended Citation
Landow, Robyn Wesler, "Type of sport played and motivation orientation as predictors of subjective well-being in college athletes" (1997). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI9730097.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI9730097
