Purpose: This study examined the mediating role of self-determined motivation in the relationships between basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration and athletes’ training adaptation (engagement) and maladaptation (burnout). To examine this, parallel multiple mediation effects were tested based on a dual-process model distinguishing adaptive and maladaptive pathways. Method: Data were collected from 356 male and female high school and collegiate athletes registered with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee in 2024. Measures included basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration, self-determined motivation, training engagement, and athlete burnout. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and correlation analysis were conducted, followed by parallel multiple mediation analysis using Model 4 of the PROCESS Macro (Hayes, 2017). Results: First, in the relationship between basic psychological need satisfaction and training engagement, intrinsic motivation and amotivation, but not extrinsic motivation, showed significant mediating effects. The mediating effect of intrinsic motivation was greater than that of amotivation. Second, in the relationship between basic psychological need frustration and athlete burnout, only intrinsic motivation and amotivation showed significant mediating effects, with the mediating effect of amotivation being greater than that of intrinsic motivation. Conclusion: These findings provide empirical evidence for the conceptual distinction between basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration in athletes’ training adaptation (engagement) and maladaptation (burnout), and contribute to a deeper understanding of the motivational processes underlying training adaptation and maladaptation.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify athletes’ perceived efforts, experiences, and outcomes related to performance satisfaction in competition and to examine the connection patterns among these categories. Method: Using snowball sampling, 80 adult athletes were recruited, including wrestlers (n = 8), luge athletes (n = 6), badminton players (n = 13), boxers (n = 12), soccer players (n = 10), taekwondo athletes (n = 17), tennis players (n = 8), and hockey players (n = 6). Data were collected using open-ended questionnaires. The collected data on efforts, experiences, and outcomes were inductively categorized, and the process of performance satisfaction was analyzed based on the connections among the categories. Results: First, athletes perceived training preparation, establishment of performance foundations, strategic preparation for competition, strengthening of psychological skills, and development of relational communication as efforts toward performance satisfaction. These efforts were associated with performance satisfaction experiences including perceived attainment of intended performance, perceived control over performance progression, perceived psychological competence, and effective communication. These experiences were subsequently connected with the attainment of socially recognized outcomes, development of positive affect, evaluation of performance content, reserved evaluation of outcomes, and perceived performance growth. Second, in the analysis of connections among the categories, training preparation and establishment of performance foundations were relatively frequently connected with perceived attainment of intended performance and perceived control over performance progression. Perceived attainment of intended performance and perceived control over performance progression were also frequently connected with the attainment of socially recognized outcomes. In contrast, strengthening of psychological skills, development of relational communication, and effective communication showed a limited number of connections with some categories, whereas positive affect, evaluation of performance content, reserved evaluation of outcomes, and perceived performance growth were connected with various outcome categories other than socially recognized achievement. Conclusion: Athletes were found to accumulate performance resources through consistent training in pursuit of performance satisfaction, express these resources through successful skill execution and game management, and extend their focus to competitive outcomes and future growth. The findings are expected to contribute to a better understanding of athletes’ performance satisfaction and provide useful information for enhancing athletic performance.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the relative influence of motivational climates created by significant others―coaches, parents, and peers―as perceived by adolescent athletes, on their life skills. Method: Data were collected from 254 adolescent athletes registered with the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee using the Life Skills Scale for Sport (LSSSA), the Motivational Climate Scale for Youth Sports(MCSYS), the Parent-Initiated Motivational Climate Questionnaire-2(PIMCQ-2), and the K-Peer Motivational Climate in Youth Sport Questionnaire(K-PMCYS). Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis(CFA), and multiple regression analysis were conducted using SPSS 30.0 and AMOS 30.0. Results: Parent-created mastery climate had a significant positive effect on all subfactors of life skills, showing the broadest influence among the three significant others. Parent-created performance climate had a significant positive effect on Emotional Control only. Coach-created mastery climate had significant positive effects on Goal Setting, Positive Thinking, Conflict Solution, and Communication, while Coach-created performance climate had significant positive effects on Time Management, Coping with stress, and Conflict Solution. Peer-created mastery climate had significant positive effects on Coping with stress, Positive Thinking, Conflict Solution, and Communication, whereas peer-created performance climate had a significant negative effect on Communication. Conclusion: Parents emerged as the significant other with the broadest influence on life skills development among adolescent athletes, while coaches and peers each exerted distinct influences on different subfactors. These findings suggest that an integrated approach considering all significant others is necessary to promote life skills development among adolescent athletes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the structural relationships among competition preparation, competitive anxiety, and goal commitment in middle and high school martial arts athletes and to investigate differences according to award-winning experience. Method: The participants were registered middle and high school martial arts athletes affiliated with the Korea Sports Council in 2025 and residing in the Seoul metropolitan area, Gangwon Province, and Chungcheongnam-do. A total of 447 valid responses were collected and analyzed. Data were analyzed using Jamovi 2.7.23 and AMOS 23.0. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability analysis, correlation analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM), and multi-group analysis were conducted. Results: First, perceived competition preparation among middle and high school martial arts athletes had a negative effect on competitive anxiety and a positive effect on goal commitment. Second, competitive anxiety among middle and high school martial arts athletes did not have a statistically significant effect on goal commitment. Third, the multi-group analysis according to competition placement experience showed that athletes with competition placement experience demonstrated a negative relationship between competition preparation and competitive anxiety, whereas athletes without competition placement experience did not show a statistically significant effect. Conclusion: Demonstrating a high level of performance is a common goal among martial arts athletes who engage in bouts requiring direct confrontation with opponents. The findings of this study emphasize the need for multidimensional preparation to regulate levels of anxiety arising in competitive situations and to maintain commitment to self-set goals.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the relationships among leisure satisfaction, perceived stress, and perceived athletic performance in student-athletes. Method: A self-report survey was conducted with 291 middle and high school student-athletes (185 males and 106 females) using the Leisure Satisfaction Scale (LSS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and a perceived athletic performance questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS 31 and AMOS 30. The analyses included frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Results: First, all subdimensions of leisure satisfaction were positively correlated with positive perception, and educational satisfaction positively predicted positive perception. Physiological satisfaction negatively predicted negative perception, whereas social satisfaction positively predicted negative perception. Second, all subdimensions of leisure satisfaction were positively correlated with perceived athletic performance, and social satisfaction positively predicted perceived athletic performance. Third, positive perception was positively correlated with perceived athletic performance and positively predicted it. Negative perception was not significantly correlated with perceived athletic performance but negatively predicted it in the regression analysis. Conclusion: Leisure satisfaction is closely associated with perceived stress and perceived athletic performance in student-athletes. Schools, coaches, and parents should provide student-athletes with more leisure time and opportunities to choose their leisure activities to help them engage in healthy leisure activities.

Purpose: This study examined the associations of sensory processing sensitivity with mental health symptoms, including perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms, and with self-evaluative outcomes, including self-esteem and physical self-description, among university students. It also examined whether leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) moderated these associations. Method: The participants were 401 university students, including 225 men and 176 women, with a mean age of 21.46±2.11 years. LTPA, sensory processing sensitivity,stress, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and physical self-description were assessed using the GPAQ, HSPS, PSS, RSES, PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PSDQ, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS and the PROCESS Macro. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, simple regression analysis, one-way ANOVA, moderation analysis, and simple slopes analysis were conducted. Results: Significant differences across the low, moderate, and high LTPA groups were found for all study variables except anxiety. Participants in the low-LTPA group reported higher levels of sensory processing sensitivity, stress, and depressive symptoms, as well as lower levels of self-esteem and physical self-description. LTPA significantly moderated the associations of sensory processing sensitivity with depressive symptoms and physical self-description. In particular, moderate levels of LTPA attenuated the positive association between sensory processing sensitivity and depressive symptoms. Physical self-description was more strongly associated with sensory processing sensitivity than with LTPA. Conclusion: Low levels of LTPA were associated with higher sensory processing sensitivity, stress, and depressive symptoms, as well as lower self-esteem and physical self-description. Moderate levels of LTPA may buffer the association between sensory processing sensitivity and depressive symptoms. Physical self-description appeared to be more closely associated with LTPA participation than with sensory processing sensitivity.