抄録
This study explored how commitment to personal values relates to subjective well-being among Japanese university student-athletes, with Sport-Life Balance (SLB) as a central focus. SLB adapts the concept of work-life balance to an athletic context, emphasizing harmony between sport participation and other areas of life. While prior research suggests that living in accordance with one՚s values supports mental health, empirical work examining SLB and performance-related values among Japanese student-athletes has been limited. Participants were university athletes who completed an online survey. Value commitment was assessed across two domains: SLB-related values (such as maintaining balance between academic and athletic responsibilities) and performance-related values (such as striving to win). Subjective well-being was rated on a 0-10 scale. Factor analysis confirmed that these two dimensions were distinct yet moderately correlated. Hierarchical regression analyses were then conducted separately for athletes competing at higher and lower levels. Among high-level competitors, commitment to performance-related values significantly predicted subjective well-being, while SLB commitment did not. Among lower-level athletes, both value domains were significant predictors. Notably, SLB commitment levels were similar across both groups, suggesting that valuing balance is a broadly shared disposition among student-athletes regardless of competitive standing. These findings indicate that competitive achievement is central to the well-being of high-level athletes, whereas those competing at lower levels benefit from commitment to both performance and life balance. The study highlights the value of helping athletes identify and commit to a range of personal values — and of fostering balance-oriented, not only performance-oriented, approaches to supporting subjective well-being.
