Social support and sports social behavior

Objective This study aims to explore the relationship between social support and behavior in sport, as well as the underlying mechanisms among college students. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted involving 1,157 college students (Mean ± SD = 23.345±0.647 Age, 54.278% male), utilizing the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Sport Scale (PABSS), Social Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Results (1) Perceived social support was positively correlated with prosocial behavior in sport (r = 0.349, p < 0.05) and negatively correlated with antisocial behavior in sport (r = -0.153, p < 0.05). (2) Perceived social support positively predicted prosocial behavior in sport (β = 0.323) and negatively predicted antisocial behavior in sport (β = -0.169). Social anxiety mediated the relationship between perceived social support and antisocial behavior in sport (β = 0.175, β = -0.095). (3) Psychological Resilience significantly moderated the relationship between perceived social support and social anxiety in the first half of the model. These results highlight the role of social anxiety as a mediator of college students' understanding of social support and social behavior in sports , and the moderating effect of psychological toughness on social anxiety.