Understanding the process of acculturation in soccer athletes: A longitudinal study

EnglishThe study aimed to understand how the process of acculturation in athletes of soccer academy occurred. It is a mixed design and longitudinal research in which acculturated athletes responded to a semi-structured interview and the Social Skills Inventory (IHS), Stress Symptoms Inventory (ISSL), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Scale (BDI). Eight athletes participated in the qualitative research of the basic categories of a soccer club in the South of Brazil, residents at the Club for at least six months and aged between 16 and 20 years. In the quantitative stage 21 athletes participated, who fulfilled the instruments on admission, three and six months after their arrival at the Club. For the data analysis, content analysis and statistical descriptive and inferential statistics analysis were done. It was observed that 63% of the acculturated athletes presented social skills deficits after six months of the process of acculturation, being coping factors and self-exhibition the ones with the most significant deficit. The athletes describe points as the arrival at the Club without knowing anyone, the customs of the southern region, temperature, as well as the distance from home and the family as risk factors for adaptation and that interfere in their sports performance. The decrease of social skills and the athletes’ speech strengthen studies that postulate the fact that the adaptation to a new culture can be a complex process and it can involve risk portuguesO estudo teve como objetivo compreender o processo de aculturacao em atletas das categorias de base do futebol. Trata-se de uma pesquisa com delineamento misto e longitudinal. Os atletas responderam a uma entrevista semiestruturada e ao Inventario de Habilidades Sociais (IHS), Estresse (ISSL), Ansiedade (BAI) e Depressao (BDI). Participaram da pesquisa qualitativa oito atletas das categorias de base de um clube de futebol do sul do Brasil, residentes no clube ha pelo menos seis meses e com idades entre 16 e 20 anos. Na etapa quantitativa, participaram 21 atletas que preencheram os instrumentos na admissao tres e seis meses apos sua chegada no clube. Os dados foram analisados atraves da analise de conteudo e da analise estatistica descritiva e inferencial. Observou-se que 63% dos atletas aculturados apresentaram deficits nas habilidades sociais apos seis meses do processo de aculturacao, sendo os fatores de enfrentamento e de autoexposicao os fatores com deficits mais significativos. Os atletas descrevem pontos como a chegada ao clube sem conhecer ninguem, os costumes da regiao sul, a temperatura, assim como a distância de casa e da familia como fatores de risco para a sua adaptacao que interferem no rendimento esportivo. O decrescimo de habilidades sociais e as falas dos atletas reforcam estudos que postulam que a adaptacao a uma nova cultura pode ser um processo complexo e de risco.