Self-determined motivation and life satisfaction in Portuguese veterans athletes

Marco Alexandre Silva Batista,Maria Isabel Aspano Carrón,Marta Leyton Roman,Ruth Jimenez Castuera,Susana Lobato Muñoz

doi:10.47197/retos.v0i32.52010

Marco Alexandre Silva Batista, Maria Isabel Aspano Carrón + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v0i32.52010

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Abstract

The aims of this work were to determine correlations and predictive variables, between the levels of motivation, basic psychological needs and life satisfaction of Portuguese veteran athletes. The sample consisted in 684 Portuguese veteran athletes of both genders, aged between 30 and 90 years (M = 43.78 DP = 8.61), competitors of various modalities. As instruments we used the Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire (BRSQ), the Basic Psychological Needs Scale Exercise (BPNES), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and Positives and Negatives Affections Scale (PANAS). It was applied the bivariate Pearson correlation test and multiple linear regression.The results showed that the veteran athletes present a good self-determination for the sport practice, being their welfare levels in life satisfaction related to the same self-determination, but rather dependent on the affections produced by sports. This study is presented as a contribution to understanding the role of sport in promoting wellness in veteran sports population.

Highlights

Our society is constantly changing, and in recent decades has been an increase in life expectation, accompanied by an increase in the percentage of individuals above 35 years old, participating in physical activities of competitive and noncompetitive character.In relation to the veteran sport, it corresponds to the sport practiced by athletes beyond 35 years old who continue to dispute sports events, in many modalities the term used to classify these athletes is «masters athletes».But we can find participation levels in veteran classes at lower ages, as in swimming, since the 28 years, or in other modalities, from the age of 30, such as the triathlon and judo
The results are consistent with the Motivation Hierarchical Model (Vallerand, 2007), as the satisfaction of basic psychological needs is related with an increase in the autonomous motivation and this will favor the commitment with physical activity and sports
Several studies (Carrasco, Chirosa, Martí, Cajas, & Reigal, 2015; Fortier, Duda, Guerin, & Teixeira, 2012; Taylor, Ntoumanis, Standage, & Spray, 2010; Teixeira, Carraça, Markland, Silva, & Ryan 2012) reflect that when satisfying basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness, it is observed an increase in the intrinsic motivation of the participants, and all this favored a higher practice in physical activity and sport

Summary

Introduction

Our society is constantly changing, and in recent decades has been an increase in life expectation, accompanied by an increase in the percentage of individuals above 35 years old, participating in physical activities of competitive and noncompetitive character.In relation to the veteran sport, it corresponds to the sport practiced by athletes beyond 35 years old who continue to dispute sports events, in many modalities the term used to classify these athletes is «masters athletes».But we can find participation levels in veteran classes at lower ages, as in swimming, since the 28 years, or in other modalities, from the age of 30, such as the triathlon and judo. Our society is constantly changing, and in recent decades has been an increase in life expectation, accompanied by an increase in the percentage of individuals above 35 years old, participating in physical activities of competitive and noncompetitive character. In relation to the veteran sport, it corresponds to the sport practiced by athletes beyond 35 years old who continue to dispute sports events, in many modalities the term used to classify these athletes is «masters athletes». The veteran participation in sport in Portugal has evolved in the number of federated effectives, marking an increase from 2002 to 2009 of 1500%, unlike the younger age groups, which only doubled, the veteran participation ratio by gender has centered in 1: 7 in favor of the men (Instituto do Desporto de Portugal, 2011). It is very interesting to note that the veteran athletes normally, train and compete for almost all their lives (Baker, Horton & Weir, 2010), so the motivation to delay aging and hold a higher quality of life, could be one of the highest motives of such athletes, indicators obtained by Zarauz & Juan Ruiz (2013a)

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