Effects of social support on the adjustment to extracurricular sports activities among junior high school students

Abstract

This study examined the hypothesis that when students received and/or provided either support for skill improvement or support for interpersonal relations, their overall adjustment level in extracurricular activities would be higher than for students who received and/or provided neither support. Data were analyzed from 475 junior high school students (female 175, male 300) who were taking extracurricular sports activities, out of 743 research participants. The results were as follows. Students who received support mainly for skill improvement showed a statistically equivalent adjustment level as students who received support mainly for interpersonal relations. Students who received either support showed higher adjustment levels than students who received neither. Additionally, providing support showed the same results. The exchange of different types of social support showed equivalent effects on the adjustment level as the exchange of the same type of social support. These results suggest that even though the types of social support are different for skill improvement or interpersonal relations, the exchange of support positively contributes to junior high school students' adjustment level in extracurricular activities.