Sports experiences of university students and their associations with self-esteem and self-efficacy

Abstract

This study investigated the possible relationships between sports experiences and the level of self-efficacy and self-esteem of university athletes from the state of Pernambuco.

Participating were 48 athletes of both sexes (26 men and 22 women) practicing the following sports: futsal (n=15); handball (n=9); volleyball (n=17); and basketball (n=7). The athletes had an average age of 22.98 years (SD=3.21) and a time of practice in their sport of 81.46 months (SD=62.96) and a weekly training frequency of 2.62 times (SD=0.76). The results showed that self-efficacy was significantly (p < 0.05) and positively associated with experiences of initiative (r = 0.50), social skills (r = 0.44) and negatively associated with social exclusion (r = -0.42). Self-esteem was negatively associated with self-efficacy (r = -0.29). The experience of initiative showed a positive association with basic skills (r = 0.29), interpersonal relationships (r = 0.39), social skills (r = 0.49) and adult network (r = 0.36), as well as a negative association with stress (r = -0.27), social exclusion (r = -0.38) and inappropriate behavior (r = -0.33). Basic skills showed a positive association with interpersonal relationships (r = 0.53), social skills (r = 0.39), and adult network (r = 0.30). Finally, social skills were positively associated with interpersonal relationships (r = 0.54). It was concluded that university sports experiences were associated with self-efficacy and, to a lesser extent, self-esteem.