On understanding the role of need thwarting in the association between athlete attachment and well/ill-being

Abstract

Grounded in attachment theory and basic psychological needs theory, the current study aimed to examine the mediating role of basic psychological need thwarting between perceptions of athlete attachment to the coach and indexes of athlete well/ill-being. A sample of athletes (N = 241) participating in various organized sports completed a multisection questionnaire assessing the main study variables. Bootstrap mediation analysis revealed that the perceived psychological needs of thwarted autonomy and competence within the coach relational context mediated the associations between athletes' perceptions of insecure attachments to the coach and experiences of life satisfaction and negative affect. Analysis also revealed that the perceived psychological needs of thwarted competence and relatedness within the sport context mediated the associations between athletes' attachment style and experiences of performance satisfaction, life satisfaction, depression, and negative affect. Overall, the findings of the study highlight that the examination of negative aspects of sport participation may facilitate a more complete understanding of athletes' psychological functioning.