Personality, social status, and willingness to mentor teammates among NCAA athletes

Abstract

The benefits of peer mentoring among athletes have been documented, but few studies have investigated why athletes are inclined to mentor teammates. The purposes of this study were to: a) examine whether personality and social status predicted athletes' willingness to mentor teammates, and b) explore whether social status moderated the personality—willingness to mentor relationship. Participants were 178 (Mage=20.22; SD=1.44; females=123; males=54; non-binary=1) NCAA athletes who completed an online survey assessing the Big Five personality traits, perceived social status, and willingness to mentor teammates who played the same position as them and a different position as them. A series of moderated multiple regressions were conducted. Extraversion (b=.30, p<.01same; b=.28, p<.05different), agreeableness (b=.48, p<.01same; b=.35, p<.05different), and openness (b=.35, p<.05same; b=.31, p<.05different) predicted greater willingness to provide friendship mentoring to teammates who played the same position, as well as a different position. Agreeableness predicted greater willingness to provide task instruction mentoring to teammates who played the same position (b=.40, p<.05). Greater social status was a stable predictor of willingness to provide task instruction mentoring to teammates who played the same and a different position, and friendship mentoring to teammates who played the same position (ps<.05), but not friendship mentoring to teammates who played a different position. Simple slopes revealed an association between openness and greater willingness to provide task instruction mentoring to teammates who played a different position at high levels of social status only (b=.83, p<.01). Findings suggest athletes with certain characteristics may be more inclined to support teammates.