Abstract
This study 1) developed a university athletes’ psychological dependency scale on family relationships and 2)
examined these scores on family relationships differed according to entrance admissions based on special recommendation for sports. Participants included 311 Japanese university athletes (202 males, 108 females, 1 unknown; mean age: 19.59, SD: 0.76). They were requested to complete a set of questionnaires, such as data on demographic variables, questions about special admission recommendations for sports, family relationship dependency scale for university athletes (shown as FRDSUA hereafter), and a questionnaire about interpersonal dependence. The factor analysis results revealed a 4-factor solution of the FRDSUA. The reliability and validity of the scale were statistically satisfied. The results of T-tests found that scores of the sports recommendation group were significantly higher than those of the non-sports recommendation group on the cocooned, dominated, invaded, and emotionally unguided in the family relationship dependency scale. These results indicated that top athletes admitted to university based on a sports recommendation had high psychological dependency scores on family relationships. Top university athletes who had been competing in sports since childhood experienced psychological co-dependency and immature relationships with their parents or surrogates. This means that it is required to support university athletes rebuilding the relationships with their parents or surrogates to develop athletes’ independence.
