Effects of Participation Motivation on Subjective Well-Being among Running Crew Members

This study investigated how four participation motives—Physical Health, Achievement, Recovery, and Social—relate to three dimensions of subjective well-being—Psychophysiological Health, Self-acceptance, and Life Satisfaction—among members of running crews. An online survey of adults (n=238) employed five-point Likert scales. Data were analyzed using EFA, CFA, reliability testing, correlation, and multiple regression. CFA supported construct validity (χ²/df=2.54, CFI=.931, TLI=.912, RMSEA=.056); AVE=.61–.79 and CR=.83–.93. Reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s α) ranged from .816 to .921. Correlations showed positive associations between participation motives and well-being (p<.01). Multiple regressions indicated that Recovery (β=.461 for Psychophysiological Health; β=.609 for Self-acceptance; β=.474 for Life Satisfaction; all p<.001) and Social (β=.163, p<.05; β=.228, p<.001; β=.276, p<.001, respectively) were significant predictors across all well-being dimensions, whereas Physical Health and Achievement were not significant. These findings suggest that restorative experiences and social bonding, rather than health maintenance or achievement per se, are key to enhancing well-being in running crew participation.