Team cohesion and ethnic–cultural identity in adolescent migrant athletes

• The study addresses the lack of research examining the integrative role of sport participation for young migrant athletes.
• Participants completed the Ethnic/Cultural Identity Salience Questionnaire and the Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire.
• Team cohesion was negatively associated with maladaptive, in terms of social integration, patterns of ethnic and cultural identity.
• The study provides valuable preliminary evidence for the potential of sport to promote social integration for young migrants.

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of sport participation in the social integration of adolescents with non-dominant ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In particular, this study investigated the relationship between team cohesion and ethnic–cultural identity. Participants were 83 young migrant athletes (mean age 15.60 years). Participants completed the Ethnic/Cultural Identity Salience Questionnaire and the Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire. Regression analyses showed that cohesion negatively predicted feelings of fringe and lack of interaction. Our findings suggest that sport participation, particularly in cohesive teams, can facilitate the development of adaptive identity toward the goal of social integration in migrant adolescents.