Junior hockey’s impact on psychosocial development

ABSTRACT

Junior hockey is an elite sport development model impacting over 20,000 adolescent athletes each year. Participation in junior hockey requires adolescents, 16–21 years old, to move away from home, disrupt academics, and participate in intense sport development models during critical developmental years. The influence of junior hockey on long-term psychosocial development is unknown. The present research measured developmental outcomes of college-enrolled former junior hockey players utilizing the Student Development Task and Lifestyle Assessment (SDTLA) and the Athlete Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS). Statistical analyses examined the impact of junior hockey on measures of athletic identity and psychosocial development, along with comparisons to a representative population of male college students. Findings indicate junior hockey’s contribution to increased athletic identity and delays in aspects of psychosocial development compared to normative populations of male college students. Recommendations are provided for junior hockey shareholders towards improving developmental outcomes associated with junior hockey.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescence
• psychosocial development
• college development
• athletic identity
• Social influence
• Junior hockey
• Student athlete
• Transition

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

A. J. Sturges

A. J. Sturges PhD in Sport & Exercise Psychology and licensed clinical mental health counselor. Serves as Director of Performance Psychology for the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL.