Cultural differences in motivational pathways linking coach-athlete relationship and self-reported competitive achievement: a cross-cultural study in east and Southeast Asia.

This study examined whether basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS) mediated the association between the coach-athlete relationship (CAR) and self-reported competitive achievement and whether these structural relationships differed across two Asian cultural regions. Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this cross-sectional study included 1,390 university student-athletes from four Asian countries representing East Asia (China and South Korea) and Southeast Asia (Thailand and Malaysia). After establishing full measurement invariance across the two regional groups, multi-group structural equation modeling was conducted while controlling for demographic and sport-related characteristics. Southeast Asian student-athletes demonstrated significantly higher latent levels of CAR and BPNS than their East Asian counterparts. In both groups, CAR was positively associated with BPNS; however, this association was significantly stronger in the East Asian sample (β = 0.53) than in the Southeast Asian sample (β = 0.41). In contrast, the positive association between BPNS and self-reported competitive achievement was significantly stronger in the Southeast Asian sample (β = 0.38) than in the East Asian sample (β = 0.22). Bias-corrected bootstrap analyses further supported significant indirect effects of CAR on self-reported competitive achievement through BPNS in both groups. Overall, the findings suggest that the motivational framework proposed by SDT was applicable across both regional groups, whereas cultural context influenced the relative strength of the motivational pathways linking interpersonal relationships, psychological need satisfaction, and self-reported competitive achievement. By demonstrating systematic within-Asia heterogeneity after establishing measurement equivalence, the present study extends the coach-athlete relationship literature and highlights the importance of considering cultural context when applying relationship-based motivational theories and developing culturally responsive coaching practices.