The relationship between communication and cohesion in inter-collegiate rugby players.

A study was undertaken to examine the relationship between communication and cohesion in inter-collegiate rugby players. Communication in many social systems has been found to be intimately related to other aspects of the group's functionality, including how affiliative or cohesive they are. Certain dimensions of communication are believed to facilitate a cohesive group, including interactions which are honest, supportive, open and direct. This style of communication has been labelled healthy communication. Because of the similarity between sports teams and families and the proven relationship between sport-specific communication patterns and cohesion, it was hypothesized that certain dimensions of communication would be present in rugby teams that would correspond to these healthy patterns in families and that they would be significantly correlated with cohesion. Fifty five male inter-collegiate rugby players completed the Interpersonal Relationship Rating Scale and Group Environment Questionnaire. The results showed that perceived communication was characterized by six factors: Tolerance, Love, Support, Anger, Effectiveness and Confidence as a sports team. Different combinations of these factors significantly predicted each of the four dimensions of group cohesion. Love and Effectiveness were significant in all four models. These findings suggest that rugby teams communicate much like families and, as in these and other systems, healthy communication is intimately tied to group cohesion.Dept. of Kinesiology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1995 .S94. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 34-02, page: 0899. Adviser: J. Corlett. Thesis (M.H.K.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1995.