Examining social support and self-esteem in high-performance sportswomen in Spain

The purpose of this study was to determine whether perceived social support is related to self-esteem and the type of sport performed by elite female athletes. 243 Spanish elite female athletes completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The results show that the greatest social support for high-performance sportswomen is family. The social support of the family and the group of friends has an impact on their self-esteem. Athletes who practice team sports versus those who practice individual sports have higher self-esteem and perceive friends as their main social support. In addition, family social support predicts self-esteem.