Examination of Self-Esteem in Swimming Athletes

Abstract

Sport has diverse and positive effects on self-esteem. Both team sports and individual sports help individuals to feel more valuable, competent and capable, in addition to improving their physical health. Based on this information, the aim of this study was to investigate the self-esteem of swimming athletes. A total of 86 female and 114 male athletes over the age of 18 who had been interested in swimming for at least 5 years participated in the study. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was used as the data collection instrument, in addition to demographic information on age, gender, income status, psychological and psychiatric status, general health satisfaction, and the idea of participating in recreational activities. The t-test for independent groups and the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for data analysis. The Scheffe test was used for multiple comparisons. According to the results, there is a statistically significant difference between the income groups with regard to the total score for self-esteem. No significant difference was found in multiple comparisons. The mean total self-esteem score of people with psychological problems, psychiatric problems in the family and people in need of psychological support is statistically significant. In summary, psychological problems and the presence of psychiatric problems in the family are important factors that have a negative impact on people’s self-esteem. The fact that people who need psychological support have low self-esteem suggests that the difficulties they experience damage their self-confidence. The impact of seeking support can be complex and depends on individual factors. It has been shown that people with higher incomes and those who feel in good general health tend to have higher self-esteem. Participation in leisure activities and gender had no influence on the level of self-esteem.