Social support is when people help each other out through their relationships with each other (Heany & Israel, 2008). There are four different types of social support (Heany & Israel, 2008): giving advice, providing concrete help, helping someone evaluate themselves, and expressing care. Social support can come from coaches, teammates, and family members in sports (Sheridan et al., 2014). Social support can affect how well someone feels and behaves (Wang, 1989). It can help someone feel better, especially during tough times like recovering from an injury (Yang et al., 2010). There are two ways that social support can help someone feel better: directly, by just being there for someone, or indirectly, by helping someone deal with the stress of a situation (Pels & Chermette, 2019). Social support can also influence someone’s behavior, such as by encouraging them to practice or to take time off from sports (Sheridan et al., 2014).
Heaney, C. A., & Israel, B. A. (2008). Social networks and social support. In K. Glanz, B. K. Rimer, & K. Viswanath (Eds.), Health behavior and health education. Theory, research, and practice (4th ed., pp. 189210). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Pels, F., & Chermette, C. (2019). In D. Hackfort, R. J. Schinke, & B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of sport psychology: Sport, exercise, and performing arts. Academic Press.
Sheridan, D., Coffee, P., & Lavallee, D. (2014). A systematic review of social support in youth sport. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 7(1), 198228. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2014.931999.
Wang, H. H. (1998). A meta-analysis of the relationship between social support and well-being. Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences, 14(11), 717726.
Yang, J., Peek-Asa, C., Lowe, J. B., Heiden, E., & Foster, D. T. (2010). Social support patterns of collegiate athletes before and after injury. Journal of Athletic Training, 45(4), 372379. Available from https://doi.org/10.4085/1062- 6050-45.4.372.
