Examination of Athletic Identity and Quality of Life Related to Sport Participation

Abstract

Athletes often develop athletic identities over time, which helps an athlete’s performance and self-esteem during sport participation but can have negative repercussions once an athlete retires. Preparation for this loss is important in preventing negative mental health consequences and decreases in the quality of life. PURPOSE: To examine overall quality of life and athletic identity (e.g., immediately after retirement and “now” in retirement) and determine differences across gender, sport type (team vs. individual), and number of years of participating in sport and number of years retired (e.g., 0-5, 6-10, 10-15 year, etc.). METHODS: Retired athletes (n=125; ages: 29.1±11.1 years; males: n=51; females: n=74) were recruited via convenience sample to participate in an online survey. Each participant completed at minimum of 4 years of high school sports, or ≥ 2 years of collegiate athletics, or ≥ 2 years of professional sports. The survey included demographic questions, the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) to measure athletic identity (immediately following sport and “now”) and the Quality of Life Index (QLI). Basic descriptive, independent samples t-tests and ANOVAs were used. RESULTS: A significant difference between gender and AIMS “now” in retirement was found (males: 31.2±10.1; females: 26.4±7.5; P = .003); but no differences were found between gender and QLI total, QLI subscales and AIMS “now” in retirement. No significant differences were found between team vs. individual sport and total QLI and both AIMS. A significant difference was revealed between number of years participating in sport and AIMS immediately following retirement (P = 0.02) and QLI-family subscale (P = 0.014). There was a significant difference between number of years retired and the QLI-family subscale (P=.014); with Tukey post hoc revealing significant differences between years 0-5 and 21-25 (6.08 ± 4.5 vs. 12.8 ± 2.2; P= .018). CONCLUSION: Those who played sports longer, had the strongest athletic identities upon retirement. Men are more likely to maintain a strong athletic identity, even after retirement. Men and women are equally likely to exhibit a decrease in quality of life, in regards to family 25 years post retirement.