P0174 - Athletic Identity and Sport Specialization in Young Athletes

Background: Child and adolescent sports participation continues to rise, with children often specializing in a single sport at an early age. Psychological associations with sport specialization have been reported, although targeted research is lacking. The purpose of this study was to examine levels of athletic identity in young athletes and to explore the association between the degree to which one identifies as an athlete and level of sport specialization. We hypothesized that levels of athletic identity would not differ by sex, and that highly specialized athletes would report higher athletic identities compared to less specialized athletes.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of patients, 12-18 years old, who received sports medicine care from September 2019 to December 2019. Patients completed a one-time, voluntary, anonymous survey. Surveys assessed demographic information, sport participation, Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS,10-item, range 7-70), Jayanthi Sport Specialization Scale (range 0-6), and Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI, range 0-84). Statistical analysis included Fisher’s exact tests, t-tests, Pearson correlations, and linear regression.

Results: A total of 430 patients were eligible for survey distribution during the study period. 334 patients (mean±sd age 15.0±1.8 years, 64.6% female, 35.4% male) completed questionnaires, for a response rate of 77.9%. 97.7% of participants designated participation in a primary sport, where they spent most of their time. Athletes reported starting their primary sport at a mean age of 7.2±3.7 years and 60.1% began playing this sport prior to age 8. The mean AIMS score was 45.2±11.5 and mean ACSI score was 50.2±18.0. 52.1% of respondents were classified as low specialization and 47.9% were highly specialized per the Jayanthi scale. No significant differences were seen in AIMS scores among age groups or between sexes. An increase in mean AIMS scores (indicating higher athletic identity) was seen with greater weekly hours of sport participation (p<0.001) and more months per year of primary sports participation (p=0.012). AIMS scores were also higher in athletes who played multiple sports during a season, compared to those who played one sport per season (48.2±10.1 vs 43.0±11.9, p<0.001). Team sport athletes reported higher athletic identities than individual sport athletes (47.0±10.7, 41.6±11.5, p=0.003). AIMS and Jayanthi scores positively correlated (r=0.39, p<0.0001), and regression analysis demonstrated every 1 point increase in the Jayanthi specialization scale was associated with an athletic identity AIMS score increase of 2.7 points (p<0.001).

Conclusion: This is the first known study to examine the relationship between athletic identity and sport specialization. Results suggest that levels of athletic identity are similar among adolescents of different ages and sexes. Athletic identity was higher in those reporting higher degrees of sport specialization, and athletes who participate in sports for more hours per week, more months per year, and multiple sports per season.