Examining Social Support Networks among Athletes: Description and Relationship to Stress

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was twofold: first, to describe the social support networks of athletes with respect to who provides what types of support and in what perceived amounts, and second, to compare the support networks of low- and high-stressed athletes. Results indicated that social support is provided by coaches, teammates, friends, and parents, and that each makes a unique contribution to the athletes’ social support network. Coaches and teammates were identified as providing types of support requiring expertise in sports, and friends and parents were identified as providing complementary types of support not requiring such expertise. Few differences were found between the social support networks of low- and high-stressed athletes.

Expertise in soccer teams: A thematic inquiry into the role of Shared Mental Models within team chemistry

“…Such support was claimed by the experts to be present mostly on field (i.e., during games or practices) and in the locker room (e.g., pre and post-performance, and during breaks). Rosenfeld, Richman, and Hardy (1989) found that 11% and 4% of collegiate athletes' emotional support came from teammates and coaches respectively. Indeed, emotional support offered by coaches, and especially by teammates, emerged as a matter of great importance for team functioning by our experts.…”

Applying Generalizability Theory to Examine the Antecedents of Perceived Coach Support

“…The importance of coach competency complements research which has demonstrated that coaches' experience, reputations, and qualifications are important factors that influence athletes' judgments about them (Manley et al, 2008), and that provider knowledge and expertise are key factors in influencing perceptions of support (Gottlieb, 2000;Rosenfeld et al, 1989). Our results also build on ANTECEDENTS OF PERCEIVED COACH SUPPORT 20 previous work in social psychology that has noted the importance of social identity in influencing judgments of support (Haslam et al, 2004; Haslam et al, 2005).…”

“…This relationship appears robust regardless of whether providers and perceivers are long-standing dyads (Lakey et al, 2002) Coaches' experience, reputations, and qualifications are among the most important factors that athletes consider when making judgments about them (Manley, Greenlees, Thelwell, Filby, & Smith, 2008), and coach competency plays an important role in the development of coach-athlete relationships (Horn, 2002; Thelwell, Weston, Greenlees, Page, & Manley, 2010). Similarly, the knowledge and expertise of support providers underpins the effectiveness of support (Gottlieb, 2000;Rosenfeld et al, 1989). As such, the competency of a coach may be a key concept from which athletes form perceptions of coach supportiveness, with highly competent coaches being viewed as well qualified to provide support if it is required.…”

“…It is, therefore, not surprising that social support has been recognized as a key factor for the success and well-being of athletes (Bianco & Eklund, 2001; Connaughton, Wadey, Hanton, & Jones, 2008; DeFreese & Smith, 2013; Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012;Kristiansen & Roberts, 2010;Rees & Hardy, 2000). Social support is also integral to the coaching process (Antonini Philippe & Seiler, 2006;Chelladurai & Saleh, 1980;Kristiansen & Roberts, 2010;Mageau & Vallerand, 2003), and coaches are key providers of support (Bianco, 2001;Rosenfeld, Richman, & Hardy, 1989). Thus, examining the antecedents of perceptions of coach support is vital for sport psychology.…”

Social support dimensions and components of performance in tennis

“…A counterargument would be to note that a less speciWc measure of social support provides a more generalizable result (Gauvin and Russell, 1993). Rosenfeld et al (1989) examined the diVerential provision of support from coaches, teammates, friends and parents. However, validation of the Social Support Survey (Richman et al, 1993) does not reveal whether all eight dimensions of support can be clearly separated.…”