A Longitudinal Study of Motivation and Well-being Indices in Marathon Runners

Motivational consequences of running were examined longitudinally, by assessing the significance of basic psychological need satisfaction, vitality, and burnout on marathoners' well-being when training toward a major running race. Within a self-determination theory (SDT) [8, 16] framework, one argues that the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness have to be satisfied in order to experience optimal health and functioning [8, 16]. Additionally, previous research has revealed associations between need satisfaction, well-being, vitality, and burnout in sports participants [15, 36]. In the current study, the findings emphasized that need satisfaction, particularly the need for autonomy and competence, had the greatest influence on and was positively associated with well-being (p ＜ .01) over the course of a two-month training period. The importance of vitality and burnout was further underlined with a two-fold increase in predicting changes in well-being at the end of the training period (p ＜ .05). Additionally, important gender differences in the psychological adaption to training were unveiled, and the findings were more significant for women compared to men (f2 ＞ .28). Especially, female runners' experienced exhaustion during the tough training period represented significant changes in perceived well-being (p ＜ .001). Together, these findings suggest that monitoring motivational variables is crucial for experiences of well-being during great performances

Interplay of motivation and self-regulation throughout the development of elite athletes

Recent development in the understanding of human motivation has high-lighted the crucial and reciprocal role of motivation on cognitive processes.In elite sport settings, athletes are subject to external forces that do notnecessarily correspond with their inherent drives. However, they seem todevelop cognitive competencies to cope with external forces, when plan-ning, monitoring, and reflecting on their high-level achievements. Thecurrent study aims to explore likely interactions between motivation andcognitive processes as athletes develop from novice to elite levels. Fivefemale Olympic and World Championship medallists were interviewed.A thematic analysis revealed how motivation and self-regulation compe-tencies interchangeably influenced athletes’career trajectories asynchro-nously. Chronologically, four themes emerged: 1) Motivational shifts evokedplanning and self-control competencies, 2) The external control constrainedathletes’self-regulation, 3) Self-control and reflection in extrinsically drivenathletes, and 4) Elite athletes’multidimensional motivation and self-regulation profile. Initially, intrinsic motivation prompted athletes’participa-tion, but the competitive nature of sport activities led to a shift toward moreexternal forms of motivation. This motivational shift was accompanied bychanges in self-regulation competencies, particularly planning andself-control, rather than self-reflection. Over time, athletes’increased sport-specificself-confidence contributed to further refinement of self-regulationcompetencies and integrated motivational regulations. Rather than explor-ing motivation and cognitive competencies individually, current studyfindings highlight dynamic interactions between these concepts that influ-ences athletes’ongoing development to elite level performances

The Role of Self-Control and Motivation on Exhaustion in Youth Athletes: A Longitudinal Perspective

The depletion of self-control competencies has been explained by an external shift in motivation, and recent research has emphasized that controlled types of motivation and self-control competencies are positively associated with exhaustion in youth athletes. Using the self-determination theory and self-control theories, this study examined associations between athletes’ motivation, self-control competencies, and exhaustion experiences throughout a competitive season. A total of 321 winter sport youth athletes (173 males, 98 females, and 50 unknown gender; aged 16 to 20 years, M = 17.98, SD = 0.89) participated in this 10-week longitudinal study, including three time points. Using Bayesian structural equation modeling, associations between athletes’ reported level of motivation regulations, self-control, and exhaustion throughout their competitive season were examined in two mediation models. Constructs were associated in a conceptual and consistent manner. Simple mediation models showed credible indirect and direct effects of motivation on exhaustion via self-control within amotivation, and intrinsic, integrated, identified, and external regulation analyses. These credible effects were not replicated in the focused mediation model, when controlling for self-control and exhaustion autoregressive effects. However, direction of effects in both models was consistent and congruent. Findings consistently supported the interplay between motivation and exhaustion via self-control in youth athletes over an important competition period of the year. Autonomous and controlled motivation interacted with self-control and respectively predicted perceived exhaustion negatively and positively. Thus, autonomous self-control motives are important in preventing negative sport participation development over time. However, simple and focused mediation models showed different results, suggesting a necessity for accurate considerations of analytical methods chosen to investigate longitudinal mediation. Specifically, future studies need to carefully consider the time interval between measurement time points when investigating changes in dynamic psychological constructs, and include autoregressive longitudinal effects in order to predict change in levels of the outcome over time.publishedVersionSeksjon for coaching og psykologi / Deparment of Coaching and Psycholog

The Temporal Ordering of Motivation and Self-Control: A Cross-Lagged Effects Model

Mechanisms leading to cognitive energy depletion in performance settings such as high-level sports highlight likely associations between individuals’ self-control capacity and their motivation. Investigating the temporal ordering of these concepts combining self-determination theory and psychosocial self-control theories, the authors hypothesized that athletes’ self-control capacity would be more influenced by their motivation than vice versa and that autonomous and controlled types of motivation would predict self-control capacity positively and negatively, respectively. High-level winter-sport athletes from Norwegian elite sport colleges (N = 321; 16–20 years) consented to participate. Using Bayesian structural equation modeling and 3-wave analyses, findings revealed credible self-control → motivation → self-control cross-lagged effects. Athletes’ trait self-control especially initiated the temporal ordering of the least controlled types of motivation (i.e., intrinsic, integrated, and amotivation). Findings indicate that practicing self-control competencies and promoting athletes’ autonomous types of motivation are important components in the development toward the elite level. These components will help athletes maintain their persistent goal striving by increasing the value and inherent satisfaction of the development process, avoiding the debilitating effects of self-control depletion and exhaustion

The Role of Self-Control and Motivation on Exhaustion in Youth Athletes: A Longitudinal Perspective

The depletion of self-control competencies has been explained by an external shift in motivation, and recent research has emphasized that controlled types of motivation and self-control competencies are positively associated with exhaustion in youth athletes. Using the self-determination theory and self-control theories, this study examined associations between athletes’ motivation, self-control competencies, and exhaustion experiences throughout a competitive season. A total of 321 winter sport youth athletes (173 males, 98 females, and 50 unknown gender; aged 16 to 20 years, M = 17.98, SD = 0.89) participated in this 10-week longitudinal study, including three time points. Using Bayesian structural equation modeling, associations between athletes’ reported level of motivation regulations, self-control, and exhaustion throughout their competitive season were examined in two mediation models. Constructs were associated in a conceptual and consistent manner. Simple mediation models showed credible indirect and direct effects of motivation on exhaustion via self-control within amotivation, and intrinsic, integrated, identified, and external regulation analyses. These credible effects were not replicated in the focused mediation model, when controlling for self-control and exhaustion autoregressive effects. However, direction of effects in both models was consistent and congruent. Findings consistently supported the interplay between motivation and exhaustion via self-control in youth athletes over an important competition period of the year. Autonomous and controlled motivation interacted with self-control and respectively predicted perceived exhaustion negatively and positively. Thus, autonomous self-control motives are important in preventing negative sport participation development over time. However, simple and focused mediation models showed different results, suggesting a necessity for accurate considerations of analytical methods chosen to investigate longitudinal mediation. Specifically, future studies need to carefully consider the time interval between measurement time points when investigating changes in dynamic psychological constructs, and include autoregressive longitudinal effects in order to predict change in levels of the outcome over time