Attitudes toward participation in sport and life satisfaction: The serial mediating roles of body appreciation and psychological well-being

This study examined the relationship between attitudes toward sport participation and life satisfaction in young adults and tested the serial mediating roles of body appreciation and psychological well-being. The sample consisted of 472 undergraduate students from a university in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Data were collected using standardized self-report measures and analyzed using Pearson correlations and PROCESS Macro Model 6 for serial mediation. Results indicated that attitudes toward sport were positively associated with body appreciation, psychological well-being, and life satisfaction. Mediation analyses revealed significant indirect effects of attitudes toward sport on life satisfaction through body appreciation and psychological well-being, both separately and sequentially. The serial mediation model was also supported, suggesting that more positive attitudes toward sport are associated with higher life satisfaction via increased body appreciation and psychological well-being. These findings highlight the potential sequential mechanisms linking sport-related attitudes and life satisfaction among young adults.