The impact of psychological needs, social support, and sport motivation on college students’ sport commitment and sports participation

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to explore the mediating role of sport commitment in the relationships between basic psychological needs, exercise motivation, social support, and college students’ sports participation, providing both theoretical and practical empirical support for enhancing sports participation among college students. Methods: This study employed a random sampling method to conduct an online survey with 653 students from three universities in Anhui province, assessing the factors that influence their sports participation. The questionnaire included the Basic Needs Satisfaction Scale, Sports Motivation Scale, Perceived Social Support Scale, Sport Commitment Scale, and Sports Participation Scale. Data analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics 27 software and Model 4 in the PROCESS 4.0 plugin to explore the mediating role of sport commitment in the relationships between basic psychological needs, exercise motivation, social support, and sports participation. Results: Basic psychological needs, exercise motivation, and social support all significantly and positively influence sports participation, and indirectly promote the level of sports participation among college students by enhancing their sport commitment. Conclusion and implications: This study reveals the positive impact of basic psychological needs, exercise motivation, and social support on college students’ sports participation and clarifies the mediating role of sport commitment in this process. The findings suggest that enhancing sport commitment can effectively increase college students’ level of sports participation. Therefore, universities should focus on fulfilling students’ basic psychological needs, stimulating exercise motivation, and providing social support to strengthen their sport commitment, thereby promoting sports participation.