TY - JOUR
T1 - Need satisfaction, motivation, and engagement among high-performance youth athletes
T2 - A multiple mediation analysis
AU - Podlog, Leslie
AU - Gustafsson, Henrik
AU - Skoog, Therése
AU - Gao, Zan
AU - Westin, Maria
AU - Werner, Suzanne
AU - Alricsson, Marie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 International Society of Sport Psychology.
PY - 2015/10/2
Y1 - 2015/10/2
N2 - The purpose of this investigation was to examine whether the various types of motivation articulated in self-determination theory (SDT) mediated the relationship between basic need satisfaction (i.e. competence, autonomy, and relatedness) and athlete engagement. Four types of motivation as assessed by the Situational Motivation Scale including intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, external regulation, and amotivation were examined as mediators of the need satisfaction–engagement relationship. Swedish downhill skiers (N = 192; n = 95 males, n = 97 females) aged 15–20 years completed questionnaires assessing the study variables of interest. Mediation analyses revealed that all four motivational regulations were significant partial mediators of the relationship between autonomy support and engagement. Moreover, except for external regulation, all three motivational regulations fully mediated the association between relatedness and engagement. Finally, intrinsic motivation and identified regulation partially mediated the relationship between competence and engagement. Findings support SDT contentions highlighting the importance of self-determined forms of motivation in mediating need satisfaction and engagement. The mediation patterns and directions for future research are discussed.
AB - The purpose of this investigation was to examine whether the various types of motivation articulated in self-determination theory (SDT) mediated the relationship between basic need satisfaction (i.e. competence, autonomy, and relatedness) and athlete engagement. Four types of motivation as assessed by the Situational Motivation Scale including intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, external regulation, and amotivation were examined as mediators of the need satisfaction–engagement relationship. Swedish downhill skiers (N = 192; n = 95 males, n = 97 females) aged 15–20 years completed questionnaires assessing the study variables of interest. Mediation analyses revealed that all four motivational regulations were significant partial mediators of the relationship between autonomy support and engagement. Moreover, except for external regulation, all three motivational regulations fully mediated the association between relatedness and engagement. Finally, intrinsic motivation and identified regulation partially mediated the relationship between competence and engagement. Findings support SDT contentions highlighting the importance of self-determined forms of motivation in mediating need satisfaction and engagement. The mediation patterns and directions for future research are discussed.
KW - adolescent athletes
KW - antecedent
KW - engagement
KW - self-determination theory
KW - skiers
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U2 - 10.1080/1612197X.2014.999346
DO - 10.1080/1612197X.2014.999346
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84946495936
SN - 1612-197X
VL - 13
SP - 415
EP - 433
JO - International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
JF - International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
IS - 4
ER -