Document Type : Original research study
Authors
1 Postdoctoral Researcher in Sports Psychology, Department of Motor Behavior and Sports Psychology, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Arak University, Arak, Iran. Sports Psychology Department, Tehran Institute of Clinical Sports Neuropsychology, Tehran, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Motor Behavior and Sports Psychology, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Arak University, Arak, Iran
Abstract
The global increase in the elderly population has raised concerns about their health and well-being. Two significant factors that contribute to their physical and mental health are perceived social support and sports participation. Despite the challenges associated with this issue, researchers have shown great interest in helping this group. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of a special sports tool designed to measure the perception of available social support among the elderly. The researchers aimed to establish the tool's factor structure, reliability, and validity. This research falls under the category of developmental research with a practical application in the field of sports social psychology. The study included 147 elderly athletes (43 women) from Tehran, selected through a combination of purposive and snowball sampling methods. The participants completed the Persian form of the sports social support perception questionnaire (P-SSSP-Q). The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) in SPSS-26, as well as confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), composite reliability (CR), convergent validity (CV), and discriminant validity (DV) using SmartPLS-3 software. The results of both EFA and CFA indicated a four-factor structure for the P-SSSP-Q. Additionally, the questionnaire demonstrated good composite reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The internal consistency, assessed through Cronbach's alpha method, and test-retest reliability also indicated that the questionnaire possessed good reliability. In conclusion, the P-SSSP-Q for the elderly exhibited good validity and reliability. Consequently, it can be effectively utilized in research related to sports psychology and aging.
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