Sport Participation and Happiness Among Veteran Footballers: The Mediating Role of Social Capital

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dc.contributor.authorAdatepe, Eda
dc.contributor.authorKul, Murat
dc.contributor.authorOzkan, Ali
dc.contributor.authorKirkbir, Fatih
dc.contributor.authorOz, Umit
dc.contributor.authorUnlu, Yilmaz
dc.contributor.authorBoz, Emre
dc.date.accessioned2026-09-01T15:52:34Z
dc.date.available2026-09-01T15:52:34Z
dc.date.issued2026
dc.departmentBayburt Üniversitesi
dc.description.abstractAim: As the global population is aging rapidly, promoting physical activity in later life is increasingly seen as a good strategy to enhance and sustain the social and psychological well-being of older adults from a positive aging perspective. This study explored how social capital influences the relationship between playing football and happiness in veteran footballers. Specifically, it aimed to understand if social capital acts as a mediator between these two factors. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on a convenience sample of 423 veteran footballers aged from 38 to 59 years who completed a survey at 35th Sakarya Veterans Football Tournament in Sakarya in north-west Turkey. Football participation was assessed using the Serious Leisure Inventory. Social capital was assessed in both cognitive and structural aspects. A single-item scale assessed general happiness. Data were analyzed with Pearson correlation coefficients and were calculated using SPSS (version 24) to assess the direction and strength of the links between the investigated variables. Path coefficients were calculated through regression analyses. For testing mediation effects, the study utilized Hayes' bootstrapping method, executed with the Version 4.2 Beta of the PROCESS macro. Results: According to the research findings, the direct effect of football participation on happiness was determined to be 0.43 (p < 0.01). While community involvement played a significant mediating role with a coefficient of 0.11 (95% CI [0.05, 0.15]), the social trust and neighborhood dimensions of social capital did not yield statistically significant effects. Collectively, the model explains 24% of the variance in happiness (R-2 = 0.24), with a total effect of football participation calculated at 0.57 (p = 0.000). Conclusions: it is believed that social environments that include participation in sport can contribute to successful and comfortable aging by greatly enhancing the overall well-being and happiness of older athletes/adults.
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/healthcare14030396
dc.identifier.issn2227-9032
dc.identifier.issue3
dc.identifier.orcid0000-0002-3945-3838
dc.identifier.pmid41682245
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-105032140994
dc.identifier.scopusqualityQ2
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14030396
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12403/8446
dc.identifier.volume14
dc.identifier.wosWOS:001688966800001
dc.identifier.wosqualityQ1
dc.indekslendigikaynakWeb of Science
dc.indekslendigikaynakScopus
dc.indekslendigikaynakPubMed
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.relation.ispartofHealthcare
dc.relation.publicationcategoryMakale - Uluslararası Hakemli Dergi - Kurum Öğretim Elemanı
dc.rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.snmzKA_WOS_20260820
dc.subjectVeteran Footballers
dc.subjectSport Participation
dc.subjectHappiness
dc.subjectSocial Capital
dc.subjectAging
dc.titleSport Participation and Happiness Among Veteran Footballers: The Mediating Role of Social Capital
dc.typeArticle

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