The relationship between perceived autonomy support, exercise regulations and behavioral intentions in women

Abstract

Objectives: To examine Self-Determination Theory’s (SDT; Deci, E.L., & Ryan, R.M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior . New York, NY: Plenum Press) proposition that perceptions of autonomy support underpin different regulations that, in turn, predict behavioral intentions in the context of exercise. The specific hypothesis examined in this study was that greater perceptions of autonomy support will be positively associated with more autonomous exercise regulations, which subsequently, will predict greater intentions to continue with exercise for the next 4 months. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: Females ( n =232) involved in a team-based intramural event sponsored by a large university completed a self-administered survey in small groups not exceeding 15 people. Participants ranged in age from 17 to 31 (M, 20.86 years; SD, 2.21) and reported healthy body mass index (BMI) values (M, 22.14 Kg/m 2 ; SD, 2.33 Kg/m 2 ). Results: Bivariate correlations indicated that perceived autonomy support from friends was more favorably associated with identified and intrinsic regulations, an ordered pattern of relationships was evident among exercise regulations, and autonomous (identified and intrinsic) exercise regulations were more strongly correlated with greater intentions to exercise. Multivariate analysis using structural equation modeling supported a motivational model based on tenets of SDT that accounted for a substantial portion of the variance in identified ( R 2 =0.32) and intrinsic ( R 2 =0.33) exercise regulations and behavioral intentions ( R 2 =0.49). Conclusion: The motivational model proposed by SDT provides theoretically sound insights into the reasons why people intend to continue with exercise behavior, and allows for a meaningful analysis of motivational processes operating in the exercise domain.