General Belongingness and Social Connectedness as Predictors of Group Cohesion in Adolescents' Participation in Team Sports

Background: The emotional bonds that develop between the coach-athlete and the athlete-athlete in team sports, such as loving each other, mutual trust, respect and appreciation, are effective in the success of the team. The individual's feeling of commitment to the team ensures that coaches and athletes maintain a good relationship. In order to increase the performance of the athlete, it is necessary to work together in a harmonious and motivated way. The aim of this study is to examine whether the group cohesion of adolescents who play team sports is related to social connectedness and general belonging variables and whether it is predicted by these variables.Methods: This research is a relational study aiming to reveal whether group cohesion is predicted by general belonging and social connectedness levels in adolescents participating in team sports. A total of 344 athletes, 115 (33.4%) girls and 229 (66.6%) boys, from sports clubs competing in football, basketball and volleyball branches in Istanbul in the 2020-2021season participated voluntarily. Social Connectedness Scale-Revised (SCS-R), General Belongingness Scale and Group Environment Questionnaire were used in the study. Multiple linear regression was used in data analysis.Results: When the results of the regression analysis are examined, it is seen that the general belonging and social connectedness variables are significant predictors of group cohesion in terms of their contribution to the variance. It is seen that the variables of general belonging and social connectedness explain 22% of the total variance. The variable that contributes the most to the model is the social connectedness variable.Conclusion: The increase in the level of general belonging and social connectedness in adolescent individuals participating in team sports increases the group cohesion of individuals