The mediating role of basic psychological needs in the effect of taekwondoathletes' mental endurance level in sports on the coach-athlete relationship

Within the scope of the study, it was aimed to determine the mediating role of basic psychological needs in the effect of the mental endurance levels of sportsmen in the taekwondo branch on the coach-athlete relationship and to examine the relationship levels of these variables. A model showing the possible relationships between these variables was established and tested using structural equation modeling. In research, developed by Deci and Ryan (2000); "Basic Psychological Needs Scale" adapted into Turkish by Kesici, Üre, Bozgeyikli and Sünbül (2003), developed by Sheard, Golby and Van Wersch (2009); "Mental Endurance Scale in Sports" adapted into Turkish by Altınbaş (2015) and developed by Jowett and Ntoumanis (2004); The "Trainer-Athlete Relationship Scale", adapted into Turkish by Altıntaş, Kazak Çetinkalp, and Aşçı (2012), was applied to 458 volunteers. Descriptive statistics (number of people, minimum, maximum, average, standard deviation) were calculated for the participants' mental toughness, basic psychological needs and trainer-athlete relationship levels in sports. In addition, oneway analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the relationship levels according to some demographic characteristics and structural equation modeling was used for the possible relationship level between variables. As a result of the research, it was determined that taekwondo athletes have high levels of mental endurance, basic psychological needs and trainer-athlete relationship in sports. When analyzed in terms of demographic variables; In the basic psychological needs variable, there were significant differences in favor of high-age athletes and female athletes, and in the trainer-athlete relationship variable, between athletes with high age levels and athletes with a long working time with their coach. In addition, it has been found that the mental endurance levels of taekwondo athletes in sports affect the trainer-athlete relationship when basic psychological needs are used as a tool.