ArticleJournal of athletic training2024
Sport Specialization and Sport Motivation in Middle School-Aged Athletes.
Article in Journal of athletic training, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Associations between exercise motivation and self-efficacy through leisure satisfaction and psychological resilience in college students: a PLS-SEM study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Early Sport Specialization in a Pediatric Population: A Rapid Review of Injury, Function, Performance, and Psychological Outcomes.Clinics and practice · 2025Review
- The preparticipation evaluation of the young athlete-an update to what the orthopedic surgeon needs to know.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Review
- Readiness for competition across sports and genders: a study on psychological skills intervention.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- The effect of exercise motivation on college students' self-efficacy: the mediating roles of leisure satisfaction and mental toughness.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Self-Determined Regulation, Achievement Goals and Sport Commitment in Spanish Masters Swimmers.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
contextSport specialization has been assumed to have psychosocial ramifications for athletes, especially autonomous motivation, which has been associated with continued sport participation. Sport dropout is common in youth athletes, yet it is unknown how sport specialization may affect this population psychosocially.
objectiveTo determine the association of sport specialization with autonomous and controlled motivation and amotivation in middle school-aged athletes.
designCross-sectional study.
settingAn anonymous online questionnaire was distributed to athletes via schools, club sports, and social media. PATIENTS OR OTHER
participantsA total of 178 athletes (male = 59%; private school = 51%; grade: sixth = 20%, seventh = 32%, eighth = 48%) completed the questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The questionnaire assessed demographics, sport participation, and motivation using the Youth Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire. Sport specialization was defined using a modified 3-point scale (low, moderate, or high) and multisport versus single-sport athletes. Nonparametric tests were used to analyze the differences among the types of motivation and specialization levels and between multisport and single-sport athletes.
resultsSport specialization categories were not significantly associated with autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, or amotivation. No significant associations were present between multisport or single-sport athletes and any type of motivation. However, multisport athletes had higher scores for intrinsic motivation, a subscale of autonomous motivation, compared with single-sport athletes (single sport: median = 5.00, 25th-75th quartile = 4.50-5.00; multisport: median = 5.00, 25th-75th quartile = 5.00-5.00; P = .04).
conclusionsSport motivation did not differ between sport specialization groups in middle school athletes. Dropout from sport is common in this age group but is multifactorial in nature. A lack of sport motivation could be a factor for some athletes, but all specialization groups appeared to have similar outcomes. Our exploratory analysis suggests that clinicians may consider having an open dialogue with single-sport athletes, their parents or guardians, and coaches to ensure that athletes are enjoying their sport.
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