Relationship Between Perceived Autonomy Support From Significant Others And Exercise Behaviors Of Adolescents

Objective:To investigate the relationship between perceived autonomysupports from significant others(parents, PE teachers and peers) and physicalexercise behavior of adolescents based on self-determination theory, andverify intermediary role of three kinds of basic psychologicalneeds(competence need, autonomy need and relationship need) in the model ofadolescent physical exercise behavior constructed in this study.Method:Some junior students in two middle school in Beijing were testedby revised related scales(Sport Climate Scale, Psychological NeedSatisfaction in Exercise Scale and Behavioral Regulations in ExerciseQuestionnaire-2), and reliability and validity of this scale were analyzedby SPSS18.0and AMOS17.0.Then435junior students in two middle school inBeijing tested by the revised scales, and data obtained was used to constructthe structural equation model by SPSS18.0and AMOS17.0.Ten students in anothermiddle school were selected to interview as supplement.Result:All scales(Sport Climate Scale, Psychological Need Satisfactionin Exercise Scale and Behavioral Regulations in Exercise Questionnaire-2)were revised, and all scales got the good reliability and validity.Accordingto the correlation analysis, perceived autonomy supports of PE teachers,parents and peers in the model and three kinds of psychological needs orexercise behavior were positively correlated(P<0.01).Three kinds of modelsin this study all were added the path of the ability need to the relationshipneed and the path of the ability need to the autonomy need after model wererevised.The model of the relationship between perceived autonomy support fromPE teacher and exercise behavior of adolescents(chi square/df=2.871,SRMR=2.871, TLI(NNFI)=0.961, CFI=0.970, RMSEA=0.066) explained11%of thephysical exercise behavior, including three need explained34%of theautonomous exercise motivation.The model of the relationship betweenperceived autonomy support from parents and exercise behavior ofadolescents(chi square/df=2.957, SRMR=0.060, TLI(NNFI)=0.957, CFI=0.967,RMSEA=0.067) explained11%of the physical exercise behavior, and three needsexplained34%of the autonomous exercise motivation.The model of therelationship between perceived autonomy support from peer and exercisebehavior of adolescents(chi square/df=3.328, SRMR=3.328, TLI(NNFI)=0.945,CFI=0.958, RMSEA=0.073) explained11%of the physical exercise behavior, including three needs explained33%of the autonomous exercisemotivation.P-value of path coefficients in three models were lower than0.05or0.01.Eight of10students classmates in interview mentioned support fromthree important others in the same time, and interview results and theinvestigation results were basically identical.Conclusion:Perceived autonomy support from PE teachers, parents and peersin exercise can influence autonomous motivation of teenagers in exercise bysatisfying the three kinds of psychological needs and thus influence exercisebehaviour.Three significant others(sports teachers, parents and peers) haveno difference in the influence on physical exercise behavior.In theintervention of adolescents exercise behavior, teenagers should get threesignificant others’ support in the same time to promote exercise behavior ofadolescents.