Publication Cover
Leisure Sciences
An Interdisciplinary Journal
Volume 44, 2022 - Issue 2
1,409
Views
22
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

“We’re a Family and that Gives Me Joy”: Exploring Interpersonal Relationships in Older Women’s Softball Using Socio-Emotional Selectivity Theory

, , , , &
Pages 183-200 | Received 07 Sep 2017, Accepted 09 Jun 2018, Published online: 17 Sep 2018
 

Abstract

Research suggests that leisure provides a vehicle for women to develop friendships in later life, yet little research has explored older women’s experiences of social connection in a team sport setting. This study explored the experiences of social support and friendship among older women who played softball. Focus groups were conducted with women on six softball teams associated with the North Carolina Senior Games. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically. Three inter-related themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) friendship and social connections played a large role in players’ motivations to join the team and continue playing; (2) their approach to playing softball facilitated social connections with others both on and off the team; and (3) through playing softball, participants developed a social network that was invaluable in coping with life stress. The findings are discussed as they relate to socio-emotional selectivity theory.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 242.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.