Perceptions of group cohesion and mood in sport teams

Perceptions of team cohesion and mood were investigated in netball, rowing and rugby. Participants (N = 415) completed the Group Environment Questionnaire and the Profile of Mood States–C. For task cohesion, attraction to the group predicted low tension and anger, and group integration predicted low depression. For social cohesion, attraction to the group predicted low tension, low depression and high vigor but group integration was not predictive of mood. Type of sport did not moderate cohesion-mood relationships, although significant between-sport differences in cohesion and mood scores were evidenced. Results are discussed in relation to the Baumeister and Leary (1995) proposition that the need to belong is a fundamental human motive