Predictors of antisocial and prosocial behavior in an adolescent sports context

Abstract

This study examined antisocial and prosocial behavior of N = 439 adolescent athletes between 14 and 17 years of age (67 teams). Multilevel analyses showed that team membership explained 20% and 13% of the variance in antisocial and prosocial behavior in the sports context, respectively. The team effects suggest that aggregating antisocial or prosocial adolescents within teams may partially explain differences in antisocial and prosocial behavior among athletes in the sports context. A trend was found towards a relation between higher levels of moral reasoning within teams and less antisocial behavior in the sports context. Favorable moral atmosphere was positively associated with more prosocial behavior in the sports context. Finally, supportive coach-athlete relationships were associated with both less antisocial and more prosocial behavior in the sports context.