Analysis of factors influencing empathy in sports participants using SEM PLS

Objective: This study aims to test relevant predictive models to develop effective interventions related to empathy, sport participation, and culture in sport activities. Method: This research uses SEM_PLS with a quantitative approach. This study involved 680 participants (67.8% female, 32.2% male) aged 17 years from 6 cities in West Sumatra. The research instrument consisted of 5 sub-variables—sports participant empathy, sports participation, encouragement to exercise, attitude towards sports, and behavior in sports—with 29 items. Results: The results showed a significant relationship between several variables, indicated by a P value <0.05. Significant relationships include Encouragement to Exercise to Sports Participation (0.349, P = 0.003), Exercise Behavior to Sports Participant Empathy (0.867, P = 0.000), Attitude Toward Sports to Encouragement to Exercise (0.826, P = 0.000), Attitude Toward Sports to Sports Participation (0.571, P = 0.000), and Attitude Toward Sports to Sports Behavior (0.757, P = 0.000). This shows a strong and significant relationship between these variables. In contrast, the relationship between Encouragement to Exercise and Sports Participation to Sports Participant Empathy is insignificant, indicating that the effect between these variables is weak or not statistically significant. Conclusion: This study found that positive attitudes toward sports strongly influence sports behavior and participation. Sports behavior is also significantly linked to empathy. However, encouragement to exercise and participation alone did not impact empathy. As a correlational study, it suggests further research is needed to explore causal relationships and influencing factors.