Examining the relationship between cohesion and return to team in elite athletes

BackgroundWithin an activity setting, perceptions of cohesion have been linked with individual membership both within the group (e.g., attendance) and outside the original context of the group (e.g., intention to return to the group in the future). However, research has yet to examine whether perceptions of cohesiveness within the group would be associated with the return of individuals to a group after it has disbanded.ObjectivesThe purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between perceptions of team cohesion assessed in one season to the actual return of the players to the team for the following season.MethodsElite male ice hockey players (N = 122) on 8 teams completed the Group Environment Questionnaire to assess cohesion. Team rosters were examined the following season to determine the players who did and did not return to their teams.ResultsDiscriminant function analysis revealed that players who returned to play for the team in the following season held significantly greater perceptions of task cohesion, with the function accounting for 16% of the variance in actual return and correctly classifying 70% of the participants.ConclusionThese results extend research on the cohesion/intention to return relationship to the actual return of individuals to a previous group.