Association between reciprocity type, mental health, and team characteristics among adolescent athletes

Adolescent athletes often experience psychological distress, performance impairment, and group conflict due to their relationships with coaches, teammates, and psychological pressure.This study examined reciprocity, or the balance between providing and receiving social support (SS) within sports teams, as a potential protective factor against these difficulties.Traditional reciprocity measures calculate the difference between SS provision and receipt scores, resulting in a net-zero balance that overlooks the total amount of SS exchanged.We conducted a cluster analysis based on the Providing and Receiving SS Scale for Sports Teams scores, categorizing the reciprocity status of 210 collegiate athletes.We examined the impact of each cluster (CL) on mental health, performance, team cohesion, and collective efficacy.Four distinct clusters were identified: CL1 (Low-Engagement Type), CL2 (Reciprocal Type), CL3 (Recipient-Dominant / Quasi-Reciprocal Type), and CL4 (Low-Provision Type).Significant differences were observed across the clusters in terms of loneliness, stress response, performance decline, collective efficacy, and team cohesion.Compared to conventional classification methods, our four-cluster approach distinguished previously merged groups more accurately.CL1, the group with the most severe mental health issues, has been overlooked in previous studies.These findings highlight the importance of reciprocity in promoting mental health, team cohesion, and collective efficacy among adolescent athletes.