Psychological determinants of athletes’ motivation in canoeing at the stage of mature professional activity

The article presents the results of a comprehensive empirical study on the psychological determinants of motivation among canoeing athletes at the stage of mature professional activity, covering the age range from 20 to 30 years. The study involved 14 male athletes from Ukraine who had at least five years of regular training experience and were active participants in national and international competitions. Standardized psychodiagnostics instruments were used for data collection, including the Sports Motivation Scale (SMS-28), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Statistical analysis comprised descriptive indicators, the Wilcoxon test, and Spearman’s correlation analysis. It was found that the highest mean scores were observed for identified motivation, indicating a high level of personal significance of sports activity and its integration into the athletes’ system of personal values. The levels of introjected motivation also remained elevated, reflecting the noticeable influence of social expectations and internal pressure aimed at avoiding feelings of guilt or meeting team standards. Emotional exhaustion emerged as the most pronounced component of burnout, whereas depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment were at moderate levels. Social support was felt most strongly from teammates, somewhat lower from the coach. Additionally, the correlation analysis demonstrated a negative association between coach support and the level of emotional burnout, indicating that higher perceived support from the coach corresponds with lower burnout symptoms. The support from teammates was found to be significantly linked with the consolidation of identified motivation emphasizing the importance of peer interactions within the team environment.