Flow in athletes: A study on the role of ruminative thought and irrational beliefs

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of ruminative thoughts and irrational beliefs in determining flow in athletes. The secondary aim of the study was to examine whether these psychological factors differed with regard to sex, type of sport and sports experience. Material and Methods: One hundred thirty-three female (Mage= 21,41 ± 4,33) and 261 male (Mage= 21,92 ± 3,94), in total 394 (Mage= 21,75 ± 4,07) athletes participated in this study. "Demographic Information form", "Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire", "Irrational Performance Beliefs Inventory-2", and "Short Dispositional Flow Scale-2" were administered to participants. Descriptive statistic, multiple hierarchical regression analysis and independent t test were used to analyze data. Results: The result of hierarchical regression analysis indicated that ruminative thought was not a significant determinant of flow experiences (p> 0.05). On the other hand, the irrational beliefs significantly predicted the flow experiences of athletes and low frustration tolerance subscale of irrational belief was significantly and positively correlated with flow (β=0.22; p <0,05). The results of independent t-test analysis revealed significant sex and type of sport differences in ruminative thought (p <0.05). Ruminative thought levels of female athletes and inidivual sport athletes were higher than male athletes and team sport athletes respectively. There were no statistically significant difference in athletes' ruminative thoughts, irrational beliefs, and flow experiences in terms of sports experience (p> 0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, irrational beliefs of athletes play a significant role in determining flow experiences. In addition, ruminative thought levels of athletes differ in terms of sex and type of sports. Key words: Flow, ruminative thoughts, irrational beliefs.