Bienestar psicológico, preparación para el retiro y vínculo deportivo en nadadores de la selección nacional cubana

Abstract

A descriptive study was conducted with the objective of determining whether retired swimmers from the Cuban national team who were prepared for sport retirement and maintained a sports-related connection had a better perception of psychological well-being. The sample comprised 31 swimmers who were administered a questionnaire to assess their perception of the researched variables, with a primary focus on items related to psychological well-being. The expert method was employed to the selection of the psychological well-being items, as well as the Cronbach’s Alpha statistical method. For data analysis, the Student’s t-test for independent samples was used after verification of normality by applying the Shapiro Wilk test. As a result, Athletes who had undergone sport retirement preparation and maintained a sports-related connection exhibited a significantly higher perception of psychological well-being. Especially, these athletes had a higher score in psychological well-being items. The study concludes that sport retirement preparation and maintaining sports-related connection positively influence the psychological well-being on retired athletes. This information guides sport organizations and other relevant entities to design strategies aimed to improve athletes’ quality of life based on these factors.