Purpose: The study examines relationship between place attachment and sports participation motivation and mediating role of psychological needs of student athletes.
Methods: In this descriptive-correlational research, 173 students active in Tabriz universities sports teams were selected by cluster random sampling. Then, questionnaires of place attachment, sports participation motivation, and basic psychological needs completed. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (p> 0.05) did not confirm the assumption of normality of the data; Therefore, the data were standardized using the Box-Cox method and through a structural equation model and step-by-step regression with alpha 0.05 through spss software version 26, Lisrel version 8; Checked.
Results: all correlations are significant between place attachment and sports participation motivation and basic psychological needs, except between fame and relatedness, energy drain and autonomy, energy drain and relatedness. The results of regression test showed that model 1 and 2 predicts 0.32 and 0.52 units of changes in sports motivation-participation, respectively. In fact, by adding the variables of basic psychological needs, autonomy, competence, and relatedness, 0.2 units were aggrevate to prediction power of model 1. However, the only significant variable in model 1 and 2 is place identity, and place identity and basic psychological needs, respectively. Therefore, place identity and then basic psychological needs suppose to have the highest predictive power for sport participation motivation variable in this research.
Conclusion: Place identity as a subscale of place attachment has an effect on the level of sports participation motivation of Tabriz university sports team students and basic psychological needs moderates this relationship.
khajehdehi, P., & aghdasi, M. (2025). Predicting sports participation motivation of student athletes with place attachment: the role of basic psychological needs.. Sports Psychology, 17(1), -. doi: 10.48308/mbsp.2024.230969.1191
MLA
parisa khajehdehi; mohammadtaghi aghdasi. "Predicting sports participation motivation of student athletes with place attachment: the role of basic psychological needs.", Sports Psychology, 17, 1, 2025, -. doi: 10.48308/mbsp.2024.230969.1191
HARVARD
khajehdehi, P., aghdasi, M. (2025). 'Predicting sports participation motivation of student athletes with place attachment: the role of basic psychological needs.', Sports Psychology, 17(1), pp. -. doi: 10.48308/mbsp.2024.230969.1191
VANCOUVER
khajehdehi, P., aghdasi, M. Predicting sports participation motivation of student athletes with place attachment: the role of basic psychological needs.. Sports Psychology, 2025; 17(1): -. doi: 10.48308/mbsp.2024.230969.1191
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