The Association Between Psychological Commitments to Team and Mental Health of Football Fans Within an Academic Setting

Abstract

Several factors have been identified as buffers against academic stress experienced by undergraduates but less attention has been given to the role of commitment to football club fan-ship. This study examined psychological commitments to fan-ship of European football clubs as a predictor of mental health of 300 undergraduates in a Nigerian university. Data were collected using structured psychological tests which include the Psychological Commitment to Team Scale, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and Ryffs Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB-18). Regression and one-way MANOVA were utilized for data analyses. Results indicated that psychological commitments to team associates with GHQ and PWB scores with variances of 8% and 17% respectively. Specifically, for every one unit in psychological commitments to team, there was .41 rise in psychological well-being and .27 increase in general health. However, team affiliation was not significant on GHQ and PWB scores. Based on findings, it was suggested that academic environments should be structured to accommodate students’ interest in fan-ship of football clubs in order to ensure emotional wellness.