The relationship between positive coaching behaviors and sport engagement among young elite wrestlers: the mediating role of sport enjoyment.

This study examined the relationship between positive coaching behaviors and sport engagement and the mediating role of sport enjoyment in this relationship. The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional design, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The sample consisted of 438 elite male wrestlers aged 18-21 years who were actively competing in Türkiye (Greco-Roman, n = 247; freestyle, n = 191). Data were collected through a survey, and all statistical analyses were performed using R 4.3.2. Positive coaching behaviors were significantly associated with sport engagement (β = 0.239) and sport enjoyment (β = 0.583), while sport enjoyment was significantly associated with sport engagement (β = 0.663; all p < 0.001). The model also indicated a significant indirect effect of positive coaching behaviors on sport engagement through sport enjoyment (β = 0.387, p < 0.001). These findings suggest that sport engagement among young elite wrestlers is associated not only with perceived positive coaching behaviors but also with the enjoyment derived from the sport experience. Accordingly, sport enjoyment should be considered an important psychological factor when examining athletes' sport engagement.