Bradley W. Young - University of Ottawa
Janet L. Starkes & Nikola Medic - McMaster University
SRG 2007
Français
Masters Sport participation engenders a pattern of sustained physical activity that over time
is associated with positive outcomes of successful aging. It is important to understand
the psychosocial conditions that sustain the motivation of aging people to remain in sport across different life stages to realize such outcomes. Individuals with larger support networks are more adherent to physical activity than those with smaller networks or less supportive surroundings (Carron et al., 2003). Preliminary results with Masters Swimmers show that those who
are heavily-involved report a greater number of agents (e.g., coaches, team-mates, sport peers)
in their social network compared to less-involved swimmers, suggesting that committed Masters might have an advantage in the number of sources that potentially encourage their involvement. Using the Sport Commitment Model (Scanlan et al., 2003), we assessed athletes’ perceptions
of social support (encouragement, endorsement) and social constraints (expectations, pressures from others) relating to eight agents/sub-groups in Masters’ social environment. How much athletes ‘wanted to’ continue in sport was predicted by ‘pressure from children’.
How much athletes felt they ‘had to’ continue was associated with ‘pressure from spouse’, ‘children’, and ‘training mates’; lower obligation levels were predicted by more ‘support from health professionals’. Early results suggest that influence from one’s spouse, children, training mates, and health professionals are critical to committed Masters. We continue to analyze how changes in support/constraint from each critical agent account for changes in (a) commitment and (b) participation, longitudinally, over one year. We are analyzing whether changes are
a function of: life stage; whether people identify as serious/recreational athletes; high/low sport involvement; sport type (individual/team). Findings will interest sport programmers who aim
to increase mass participation by identifying people that surround an athlete who offer
an inviting context for sport and encourage it as a sustainable pursuit. Results will
inform individuals who consider Masters Sport as a participatory intervention for promoting successful aging.
Masters sport comprises venues in which middle- to older-aged individuals engage in regular training/exercise and in which they participate in sporting events of varying degrees of competitiveness. Long-term, continuous involvement is Masters sport is associated with various positive outcomes, including outcomes related to successful aging. Thus, it is important to understand the psychosocial conditions that sustain the motivation of aging people to remain in sport over the long-term such that these positive outcomes might be realized. By understanding these conditions, we are also afforded an opportunity to learn how to optimize the number of individuals aged 35+ who are actively involved in sport.
The current research is specifically interested in the social conditions that facilitate involvement in Masters programs during different decades of life. There is a wealth of research on youth that demonstrates how athletes’ positive relations with significant others, and the breadth of their social support network influences their sport participation and buffers them against drop-out (Bloom, 1985; Brustad et al., 2001). There is, however, a dearth of research on social influences pertaining to Masters athletes. To learn more about the topic, we have adopted The Sport Commitment Model (Scanlan et al., 1993; 2003) to gain insight about the determinants of long-term commitment to sport participation. Within this model, we are comprehensively assessing how athletes’ perceptions of social support and social constraints (i.e., expectations and pressures from significant others) each contribute to their motivation to continue in sport.
The research will examine the degree to which eight specific social agents (e.g., coach, training partners/team-mates, sport club members, spouse, children, other family members, health professional, non-sport peers) influence ‘functional’ (how much they ‘want to’ continue in sport) and ‘obligatory’ (how much they feel that ‘have to’ continue in sport) commitment. Our first goal is to understand whether there are differences in perceived social support and social constraints associated with Masters athletes in older (60s, 70s) vs. younger groups (40s, 50s). This is important to understand in different cross-sections of sporting populations, as preliminary evidence suggests that social support may be even more important in senior populations for promoting leisurely physical activity (Chogahara et al., 1998; O’Brien-Cousins, 1994). Second, we are interested in whether perceptions of social support and social constraints differ as a function: of whether people identify themselves as serious or more recreational athletes; of high/low involvement in sport; of sport type (individual or team). As of October 2008, our research team has collected survey data in the first phase of our longitudinal design, resulting in 721 participants from various sports who demonstrate a wide range of sport involvement. This first round of data collection will end in March of 2009, and the aforementioned research questions will be examined using cross-sectional analyses on these data.
In April 2009, we will begin the second phase of data collection. These data will be instrumental in examining how changes in social support and social constraints account for changes in sport commitment and, most importantly, changes in participation longitudinally over a one-year period. The findings of this research will be of interest to sport programmers who might employ strategies to make the social context more inviting for increased participation and regular sport involvement, after the age of 40. Furthermore, sport policy-makers will be better informed about the various people or groups that should surround athletes during various decades of life to make competitive and recreational sport a more attractive pursuit.
Masters sport comprises organized venues in which middle- to older-aged individuals can
realize various physical and psychological benefits from their involvement in regular moderate to
highly vigorous physical activity. This is of special importance because, unlike most older
individuals whose physical activity levels decrease with age, Masters athletes continue to
remain highly involved in physical activity across the lifespan. By studying these individuals, we
are afforded an opportunity to learn how to optimize the number of individuals aged 35+ who
are actively involved in organized sport.
The current research is interested in the social conditions that facilitate involvement in Masters
programs during different decades of life. There is a wealth of youth participant motivation
research that demonstrates that an athlete’s positive relations with coaches, parents, and peers
promotes continued participation (Brustad et al., 2001), and sport expertise research (Bloom,
1985) shows that a young athlete’s successful development depends on the availability of social
resources (e.g., a coach, training partners). There is, however, a dearth of research on social
influences pertaining to Masters athletes. The Sport Commitment Model (SCM; Scanlan et al.,
1993; 2003) will be used to gain insight about the determinants of long-term commitment to
sport participation. According to the SCM, greater overall commitment and participation is
determined by higher levels of ‘social support’ and ‘social constraints’. Although research has
generally supported the SCM among youth/adolescent samples, there has been equivocal
evidence for ‘social constraints’, which reflects perceptions of obligation to significant others to
continue in sport. The model has recently been extended to include two commitment types (i.e.,
functional and obligatory) and evidence suggests that different groups of determinants predict
each type. There is a need for validation of newer conceptions of the SCM with populations of
different ages and with longitudinal designs (Weiss & Ferrer-Caja, 2002). The present research
addresses this need and fills a void in research on social support/constraint constructs
pertaining to aging athletes.
The research will examine the degree to which seven specific social agents (e.g., coach,
training partners/team-mates, sport club members, spouse, children, other family members,
non-sport peers) influence functional and obligatory commitment to sport. Our first goal is to
understand whether there are differences in perceived social support and social constraints
associated with Masters athletes in older (60s, 70s) vs. younger groups (40s, 50s). This is
important to understand in different cross-sections of sporting populations, as preliminary
evidence suggests that social support may be even more important in senior populations for
promoting leisurely physical activity (Chogahara et al., 1998; O’Brien-Cousins, 1994). Second,
we are interested in whether perceptions of social support and social constraints differ as a
function of level of sport activity involvement (high or low) and sport type (individual or team).
Finally, we will examine how social support and social constraints account for changes in sport
commitment and participation longitudinally over a one-year period. The findings of this
research will be of interest to sport programmers who might employ strategies to make the
social context more inviting for increased participation, after the age of 40. Furthermore, sport
policy-makers will be better informed about the various people or groups that should surround
an athlete during various decades of life to make sport a more attractive pursuit.
SCRI 2007 Presentation Slides
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