Research Article

Investigation of Athletes’ Psychological Needs Across Different Sport Disciplines

Volume: 8 Number: 2 June 30, 2026
TR EN

Investigation of Athletes’ Psychological Needs Across Different Sport Disciplines

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine levels of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with psycho-logical needs among athletes across different sports disciplines, determine the relation-ship between these needs and the overall SPIDO score, and reveal differences in psycho-logical needs based on demographic variables. The Psychological Need States in Sport Scale (SPIDO) used in the study was developed by Bhavsar et al. (2020) and adapted into Turkish by Ünver et al. (2022). A total of 534 athletes participated in the study, including 234 females and 300 males. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25 software. Since the assumptions of parametric tests were met, an independent-samples t-test, a one-way ANOVA, and a Pearson correlation analysis were employed. The level of significance was set at p < .01 and p < .05. The results indicated no significant differences by gender. When examined by sport type, a significant difference was found only in the autonomy dissatis-faction dimension, favoring individual sport athletes. In terms of sports experience, ath-letes with greater experience reported higher satisfaction. Correlation analyses generally showed that the satisfaction dimensions of psychological needs were positively associat-ed with the overall SPIDO score. Autonomy and competence satisfaction demonstrated strong and significant relationships with the overall SPIDO score. Additionally, some strong positive relationships were observed among the dissatisfaction dimensions. In conclusion, the findings revealed that autonomy and competence satisfaction are strongly associated with the overall SPIDO score and that these needs make a significant contribu-tion to athletes’ psychological well-being. While the type of sport affected only the au-tonomy dissatisfaction dimension, sport experience showed significant variation across some satisfaction dimensions. Based on these findings, it is recommended to increase athletes’ participation in decision-making processes, provide regular and constructive performance feedback, and strengthen social support within the team. Such practices may help satisfy psychological needs and enhance athletes’ overall motivation.

Keywords

References

  1. Adie, J. W., Duda, J. L., & Ntoumanis, N. (2008). Autonomy support, basic need satisfaction and the optimal functioning of adult male and female sport participants: A test of basic needs theory. Motivation and Emotion, 32(3), 189–199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-008-9095-z
  2. Alexe, D. I., Abalasei, B. A., Mares, G., Rata, B. C., Iconomescu, T. M., Mitrache, G., & Burgueño, R. (2022). Psychometric Assessment of the Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale with Professional Romanian Athletes. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(3), 1696. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031696
  3. Amorose, A. J., & Anderson-Butcher, D. (2015). Autonomy-supportive coaching and self-determined motivation in high school and college athletes: A test of basic needs theory. Journal of Sport Behavior, 38(1), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2006.11.003
  4. Balaguer, I., González, L., Fabra, P., Castillo, I., Mercé, J., & Duda, J. L. (2012). Coaches’ interpersonal style, basic psychological needs and the well- and ill-being of young soccer players: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences, 30(15), 1712–1724. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2012.731517
  5. Bartholomew, K. J., Ntoumanis, N., Ryan, R. M., & Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C. (2011). Psychological need thwarting in the sport context: Assessing the darker side of athletic experience. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 33(1), 75–102. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.33.1.75
  6. Bhavsar, N., Bartholomew, K. J., Quested, E., Gucciardi, D. F., Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C., Reeve, J., Sarrazin, P., & Ntoumanis, N. (2020). Measuring psychological need states in sport: Theoretical considerations and a new measure. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 47, Article 101617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.101617
  7. Chen, B., Vansteenkiste, M., Beyers, W., Boone, L., Deci, E. L., Van der Kaap-Deeder, J., Duriez, B., Lens, W., Matos, L., Mouratidis, A., Ryan, R. M., Sheldon, K. M., Soenens, B., Verstuyf, J., & Verstuyf, J. (2015). Basic psychological need satisfaction, need frustration, and need strength across four cultures. Motivation and Emotion, 39(2), 216–236. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9450-1
  8. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Sport and Exercise Psychology

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

June 30, 2026

Submission Date

April 22, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 19, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 8 Number: 2

APA
Arslan, H., Şimşek, E., Beltekin, E., & Kuyulu, İ. (2026). Investigation of Athletes’ Psychological Needs Across Different Sport Disciplines. Journal of Sport for All and Recreation, 8(2), 231-239. https://doi.org/10.56639/jsar.1936208
AMA
1.Arslan H, Şimşek E, Beltekin E, Kuyulu İ. Investigation of Athletes’ Psychological Needs Across Different Sport Disciplines. JSAR. 2026;8(2):231-239. doi:10.56639/jsar.1936208
Chicago
Arslan, Hayati, Emre Şimşek, Enes Beltekin, and İhsan Kuyulu. 2026. “Investigation of Athletes’ Psychological Needs Across Different Sport Disciplines”. Journal of Sport for All and Recreation 8 (2): 231-39. https://doi.org/10.56639/jsar.1936208.
EndNote
Arslan H, Şimşek E, Beltekin E, Kuyulu İ (June 1, 2026) Investigation of Athletes’ Psychological Needs Across Different Sport Disciplines. Journal of Sport for All and Recreation 8 2 231–239.
IEEE
[1]H. Arslan, E. Şimşek, E. Beltekin, and İ. Kuyulu, “Investigation of Athletes’ Psychological Needs Across Different Sport Disciplines”, JSAR, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 231–239, June 2026, doi: 10.56639/jsar.1936208.
ISNAD
Arslan, Hayati - Şimşek, Emre - Beltekin, Enes - Kuyulu, İhsan. “Investigation of Athletes’ Psychological Needs Across Different Sport Disciplines”. Journal of Sport for All and Recreation 8/2 (June 1, 2026): 231-239. https://doi.org/10.56639/jsar.1936208.
JAMA
1.Arslan H, Şimşek E, Beltekin E, Kuyulu İ. Investigation of Athletes’ Psychological Needs Across Different Sport Disciplines. JSAR. 2026;8:231–239.
MLA
Arslan, Hayati, et al. “Investigation of Athletes’ Psychological Needs Across Different Sport Disciplines”. Journal of Sport for All and Recreation, vol. 8, no. 2, June 2026, pp. 231-9, doi:10.56639/jsar.1936208.
Vancouver
1.Hayati Arslan, Emre Şimşek, Enes Beltekin, İhsan Kuyulu. Investigation of Athletes’ Psychological Needs Across Different Sport Disciplines. JSAR. 2026 Jun. 1;8(2):231-9. doi:10.56639/jsar.1936208

Creative Commons Lisansı

Articles published by Journal Sports for All and Recreation is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License.