The relationship between sport event experience and psychological well-being: the case of a “Sailing Marathon”

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v57.105983

Keywords:

sport services, leisure activities, sport experience, sailing marathon, well-being

Abstract

The special nature of recreational sport services, orientates the contemporary research interest to the holistic nature of sports event experience, emphasizing their relationships with psychosocial factors contributing to participants' well-being. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to analyze the dimensions of sport event experience in the context of a sailing marathon event and (2) to investigate the contribution of the sport event experience factors to participants’ psychological well-being. The study was conducted in Greece, where the participants of the event filled out the PERMA Profiler Questionnaire (Pezirkianidis, Stalikas, Lakioti & Yotsidi, 2019) and a multidimensional Sport Event Experience scale, designed especially for the study purpose. The results provided support for the holistic and multilevel nature of sport event experience construct in the case of a recreational sailing event, as it was theoretically defined. The regression analysis showed that participants' psychological well-being was significantly predicted by the event sport experience, where the dimensions of social environment, brand, and services environment of the event had the most significant contributions. These results show the value of sport events with a recreational nature in contributing to the development of individual well-being. The PERMA model is an acceptable one for measuring perceived well-being. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Keywords: sports services, leisure activities, sports experience, sailing marathon, well-being

Author Biographies

Apostolia Ntovoli , Department of Life and Health Sciences - Frederick University, Cyprus

Dr. Apostolia Ntovoli (MEd, MSc, PhD) is a Lecturer in the Department of Life and Health Sciences at Frederick University in Cyprus and a postdoctoral candidate at the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science (TEFAA) at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). She teaches in numerous postgraduate programs, such as the Sports Management program at the Hellenic Open University and the "Sports Management, Recreation, and Sports Tourism" program at TEFAA-AUTH. She has extensive administrative experience in the fitness and sports tourism sectors and has served as a regular member of the Governing Committee of the National Sports Centers of Thessaloniki. Additionally, as a member of the Sports, Tourism, and Recreation Management Laboratory at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, she has participated in funded Erasmus+ programs related to sports, running events, entrepreneurship, and quality of life. Her research interests are focused on consumer behavior in sports, recreation, and sports tourism. Her research work has been published in reputable scientific journals such as Leisure Studies, Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, and Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine.

Sophia Theodorou , PE and Sport Science - AUTH, Greece

Sofia Theodorou is a psychologist, holding her BSc and MSc in Human Performance and Health with high distinction from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. As part of her professional specialization, she has extensive and ongoing experience in promoting mental health wellbeing in the general population as well as individuals with chronic illnesses. Additionally, she specializes in applied psychometrics and provides counseling services as Medical Officer in the Hellenic Armed Forces. She is a regular member of the Board of Directors of the Greek Multiple Sclerosis Society, where she leads mental healthcare policies for its members. Her research interests focus on the application of interventions promoting Mental and Physical Health specializing in Sport Science, Physical Education, Quality of Life, Sport, Recreation, and Sport Tourism Management in the field of sport consumer behavior. She has participated in various research projects, including her role as a co-investigator of the Oceans of Hope Challenge UK research group, as well as, the first Sailing Marathon event in Greece. Sofia has also worked as a researcher and co-facilitator for the web-based psychoeducational program "Be Cool”, a project funded from the European Committee of Research in Multiple Sclerosis, aiming to manage symptoms through the application of head and neck cooling therapy combined with mindfulness-based techniques to promote regular physical activities for people living with Multiple Sclerosis. Furthermore, she served as principal investigator of the web-based psychoeducational program "Resilience for Everyday Activities for Multiple Sclerosis" in collaboration with Queensland University, AU. In addition, she is an elected member of the United Nations' Advisory Committee on the Mental Health Support Strategy for Uniformed Personnel, contributing to the prevention of psychosocial and physical trauma during peacekeeping operations.  

Konstantinos Alexandris , PE and Sport Science - AUTH, Greece

Kostas Alexandris (PhD, MA, MEd) is a Professor and Dean of the School of PE and Sport Science at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and a Visiting Professor at Sheffield Hallam Business School, UK. He also teaches at the DBA and MS programs of Munich Business School, University of Seville, and Russian International Olympic University (IOC Master Programme). He is a Board Member at the European Association of Sport Management (EASM), and Scientific coordinator of the Association’s annual conferences. He has published more than 90 research papers in international journals in the areas of sport, leisure and tourism management and marketing. His published work has attracted more than 11.000 internationals citations (based on scholar). H is among the 2% of researchers globally, based on the Stanford list of most recognized researchers internationally. He is Associate Editor in the journals: Managing Sport and Leisure and Leisure Studies, and member of the editorial boards of several international journals (Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Sport Management Review, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Journal of Global Sport Management, Journal of Convention and Event Tourism etc.). He is also the co-author of the book “Sport Consumer Behavior: Marketing Strategies” (Funk, Alexandris and McDonald, 2023, by Routledge).

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2024-08-03

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Ntovoli, A., Theodorou, S. ., & Alexandris, K. (2024). The relationship between sport event experience and psychological well-being: the case of a “Sailing Marathon”. Retos, 57, 484–493. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v57.105983

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