Athlete Career Transitions and Psychological Capital: A Quantitative Study of Professional Motorcycle Speedway Riders

Psychological Capital (PsyCap) entails a collection of positive traits which may be optimised towards achieving a successful career transition. The current research investigated the intricate relationship between PsyCap, career transition outcomes, and the moderating role of social support among transitioned (retired) speedway riders. The objective was to discern whether increasing levels of PsyCap correlate with favourable career transitions in terms of employability and career control, compared to those with lower PsyCap levels. In addition, it delved into the specific traits of PsyCap, including self-efficacy, resilience, optimism, and hope. Through a comprehensive analysis, the PsyCap traits exhibited positive correlations with career transition outcomes. However, the research failed to reject the null hypothesis and did not reach a statistical significance threshold. Nonetheless, social support emerged as a crucial moderator, significantly expanding on the positive association between PsyCap traits, employability, and career control. The results underscore the vital role of external factors, such as support networks, in facilitating successful career transition. Despite certain limitations, such as a small sample size and the specificity of the population investigated in the research, it holds provisional practical implications blending psychological capital intervention with enhancement of the social support.