Actual and wished supports to promote a successful dual career according to Italian student-athletes' point of view.

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the actual and wished supports to promote a successful dual career for Italian student-athletes. Methods: An ad hoc questionnaire (nine items) was administered to 711 academic Italian student-athletes (age = 23 ± 4 years). A binomial regression for categorical outcomes was applied to discriminate subcategories for each item. Results: According to the items which could be considered as more related to the actual and wished supports to promote a successful dual career, student-athletes mostly answered that tutoring (≤ 24 years old, 95%, OR 3.55; team, 95%, OR 2.27; elite, 97%, OR 3.33; not sport science path, 93–96%, OR range 3.45–7.69), e-learning (last year, 95%, OR 1.97), and extra-academic merits (team, 71%, OR 1.47; elite, 77%, OR 2.13) resulted as not satisfactorily supported by university, but highly wished by student-athletes. Also the flexibility in lesson frequency and exam sustainability resulted as strongly considered, but perceived as limited (≤ 24 years old, 84%, OR 2.43; Medical and Humanistic, 87%, with respect to Sport Science path, OR 9.01). In addition, in terms of identity, female (68%, OR 2.22), > 24 years old (68%, OR 2.22), sub-elite (68%, OR 2.22), not sport science (57–65%, OR 2.48–2.03), and last year of attendance (62%, OR 3.45) participants showed to be more student-oriented, whereas elite (60%), sport science path (61%), and out of course (56%) student-athletes perceived themselves as mainly athletic-oriented. Conclusion: Italian student-athletes could be better supported by University in complying sport and academic requirements, especially by means of an improvement in tutoring, e-learning and a more flexible schedule, in line with the European Commission guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]