The mechanism linking self-determined motivation to pickleball continuance intention: mediating role of leisure specialization and gender heterogeneity.

Integrating Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study examines how self-determined motivation (autonomy, competence, relatedness) shapes continuance intention among pickleball participants, with leisure specialization conceptualized as a domain-specific operationalization of perceived behavioral control (PBC). The mediating role of leisure specialization and the moderating effect of gender on the underlying motivational pathways are tested. Drawing on cross-sectional data from 789 Chinese tournament participants, structural equation modeling (SEM) reveals that all three dimensions of self-determined motivation exert significant positive effects on leisure specialization, which in turn partially mediates the relationship between self-determined motivation and continuance intention. Gender, however, does not significantly moderate the pathways linking motivational dimensions to leisure specialization, suggesting that the core motivational mechanism operates comparably across male and female participants. The findings provide empirical support for the pathway of "psychological need satisfaction → behavioral control (leisure specialization) → sustained participation," and suggest that pickleball's low-skill-threshold design and mixed-gender format may help attenuate traditional gender-role barriers to sport participation. By validating this context-specific operationalization of PBC, the study extends integrated SDT-TPB research and offers practical insights for promoting sustained participation in emerging low-threshold sports.