Matching social support with stressors: Effects on factors underlying performance in tennis.

Abstract

Objectives: This study: (a) examined the factor structure of a four-dimensional measure of social support designed specifically for this study; (b) matched social support dimensions with stressors in examining the main and stress-buffering effects of social support upon factors underlying performance in tennis.

Method: 130 high level tennis players completed measures of social support, stressors, and performance factors.

Results: Analyses of covariance structures largely provided support for the four-dimensional structure of the social support measure. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses revealed significant main and stress-buffering effects of the social support dimensions upon performance factors.

Conclusions: The results illustrate the importance of matching specific types of sport-relevant social support with the needs elicited by the stressors under consideration. They also illustrate the need to pay close attention to the measurement instruments used in such studies. In this study, the finding of significant stress-buffering effects of social support may have been optimised through detailed attention to the measurement instruments chosen for the constructs under study. Applied implications would include developing an understanding of the beneficial role social support has to play in protecting players from the deleterious impact of stressors upon performance. Providers of support should, however, carefully match their support to the needs of the individual.