The Effect of Motivational Determinants on Elite Wrestlers’ Intentions to Continue in Sport: The Mediating Role of Enjoyment

Background This study aimed to examine the effects of motivational determinants (goal orientation, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and motivation) on elite wrestlers’ intentions to continue in sports and the mediating role of enjoyment in these relationships. Methods An exploratory sequential mixed methods design was employed. The quantitative sample consisted of 374 elite wrestlers (325 male, 49 female) who ranked in the top three in national and international tournaments over the last four years. The qualitative sample included 16 voluntary athletes actively competing in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. Quantitative data were collected via the Goal Orientation in Exercise, Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction, Motivation, Enjoyment, and Intention to Continue Sport scales. The data were analyzed via descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM) via IBM SPSS 22 and AMOS software. Qualitative data were collected through semistructured interview forms and analyzed via content and descriptive analysis techniques in MAXQDA 2020. Results Quantitative findings indicated that goal orientation, the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and motivation had significant direct, indirect, and total effects on the intention to continue sport. Moreover, enjoyment partially mediated these relationships, and the proposed model explained 41% of the variance in the intention to continue sport (R² = .41). Qualitative findings were categorized under the theme “Factors Affecting Intention to Continue Sport,” which was divided into two main categories: “Positive Effects” and “Negative Effects,” each further broken down into “Internal” and “External” subcategories. The internal positive effects included commitment and passion, achievement goals, and enjoyment, whereas the external positive effects comprised reference groups, coach interaction, and social support. The internal negative effects included failure and negative psychological processes, whereas the external negative effects included injustice, sport-specific challenges, and resource shortages. The qualitative findings were consistent with the quantitative results and supported the multidimensional nature of the intention to continue sport. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that the intention to continue sport is significantly associated with both individual motivational factors and the level of enjoyment. The qualitative data support this structure and reveal that internal and external factors play a determining role in the athlete’s persistence decision.