Citation

Rutten EA, Stams GJ, Biesta GJ, Schuengel C, Dirks E, Hoeksma JB. J. Youth Adolesc. 2007; 36(3): 255-264.

Affiliation

University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10964-006-9085-y

PMID

27519025

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the contribution of organized youth sport to antisocial and prosocial behavior in adolescent athletes. The sample consisted of N=260 male and female soccer players and competitive swimmers, 12 to 18 years of age. Multilevel regression analysis revealed that 8% of the variance in antisocial behavior and 7% of the variance in prosocial behavior could be attributed to characteristics of the sporting environment.

RESULTS suggested that coaches who maintain good relationships with their athletes reduce antisocial behavior, and that exposure to relatively high levels of sociomoral reasoning within the immediate context of sporting activities promotes prosocial behavior. These results point to specific aspects of adolescents' participation in sport that can be used to realize the educational potential of organized youth sport.

Language: en

Keywords

Antisocial behavior; Coach-athlete relationship quality; Moral reasoning; Prosocial behavior; Sociomoral atmosphere