Social Support, Self-Regulation, and Psychological Skill Use in E-Athletes

Michael G Trotter; Tristan J Coulter; Paul A Davis; Dylan R Poulus; Remco Polman

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.722030

Social Support, Self-Regulation, and Psychological Skill Use in E-Athletes

Front Psychol. 2021 Nov 11:12:722030. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.722030. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Michael G Trotter¹, Tristan J Coulter¹, Paul A Davis², Dylan R Poulus³, Remco Polman¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Health, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
² Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
³ School of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University, Bilinga, QLD, Australia.

Abstract

The aims of the present study were twofold. First, to investigate self-reported social support, self-regulation, and psychological skill use in esports athletes (e-athletes) compared to traditional athletes. Second, to determine if self-reported social support, self-regulation, and psychological skill use influenced e-athlete in-game rank. An online survey was used to collect data from an international sample of e-athletes (n = 1,444). The e-athletes reported less social support, self-regulation, and psychological skill use than reported by traditional athletes in previous studies. E-athletes with higher scores in social support, self-regulation, and psychological skill use was associated with higher in-game rank. The lack of an organisational structure in esports may be a contributing factor as to why e-athletes score lower than traditional athletes on social support, self-regulation, and psychological skill use. Future research is warranted to explore the development of esports programs aiming to promote athletes' social support, self-regulation, and use of psychological skills to enhance in-game performance and well-being.

Keywords: competitive video games; cyber sport; e-athlete; esports; psychological skills; self-regulation; social support; video game.