An examination of hierarchical leisure constraint effects on sport participation and sport preference from adolescence into early adulthood

The aim of this study was to understand how hierarchical leisure constraints prohibited sport participation and influenced sport preferences during individuals’ adolescent years, and how these constraint effects may change during their early twenties. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was employed to (1) identify general changes in constraint effects on participation (i.e., quantitative) and then (2) better understand how sport preferences may be impacted by these constraint effects on participation (i.e., qualitative). A sample (n=117) of female (n=36) and male (n=81) Georgia residents between the ages of 20-25 representing various ethnicities, backgrounds, and income levels participated in the study. Twelve of the participants were interviewed following their completion of the online questionnaire. Online questionnaire data capturing past and present sport participation constraints were analyzed using two-tailed dependent sample t-tests, while the twelve semi-structured interviews were analyzed through a reflective thematic analysis. Findings from analyses of perceived leisure constraints suggests that interpersonal and structural constraints are likely to become slightly more difficult to negotiate as individuals transition from adolescence into young adulthood and that their sport participation choices and overall sport preferences are unlikely to change significantly. In situations where sport preference and participation changes occur, individuals’ changes often reflect their ability to relate to their new sport or sports through prior skills or knowledge that could be carried over from their adolescent sport participation. Another key driver for participating in new sports as a young adult involves influences from new or existing social groups (e.g., friends, family).