Diogo Salgado Braz

The present study was grounded in Self-Determination Theory and the Dualistic Model of Passion. The objective of the study was to examine the relationships between basic psychological need satisfaction, passion (harmonious and obsessive), and life satisfaction in youth football players. The sample comprised 403 male youth football players aged 13 to 17 years who completed validated self-report measures assessing autonomy, competence, relatedness, passion for football, and global life satisfaction. The structural equation modeling approach was employed to assess direct and indirect associations among variables, as well as to ascertain invariance of the model across age groups. The results of the study indicated that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs was associated with a propensity toward harmonious passion, while concurrently demonstrating an inverse relationship with obsessive passion. The harmonious passion–life satisfaction relationship was found to be positive, while the obsessive passion–life satisfaction relationship was found to be negative. The present study examined the relationship between need satisfaction and life satisfaction, with the hypothesis that passion would mediate this relationship. It was predicted that the way players internalize their motivation would play a central role in translating sport experiences into broader well-being. The structural model demonstrated invariance across age groups, thereby suggesting developmental robustness of these motivational processes throughout adolescence. These findings underscore the significance of need-supportive environments in youth football, which are instrumental in fostering adaptive forms of passion and promoting long-term psychological well-being.

Background: Psychological well-being is crucial for the development and performance of young athletes. This systematic review aims to synthesize the available scientific evidence on the relationship between passion (harmonious and obsessive), basic psychological needs (BPNs), motivation, affect (positive and negative), and life satisfaction in young football (soccer) players. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed, following the PRISMA 2020 (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The search was conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, and SportDiscus databases, using a comprehensive strategy that combined keywords related to football, youth, passion, motivation, and well-being. Two independent reviewers performed article screening, eligibility assessment, and data extraction. The methodological quality of the included studies was determined using two different tools. Results: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in detail. The results consistently indicate that harmonious passion is associated with greater fulfillment of BPNs, positive affect, and overall life satisfaction. In contrast, obsessive passion was linked to negative outcomes such as burnout and emotional dysregulation. The available evidence suggests a positive association of harmonious passion with motivation and well-being, and an association of obsessive passion with psychological distress. Conclusions: Within the delimited scope, the evidence suggests that harmonious passion is an important construct positively associated with the well-being and motivation of young footballers, while obsessive passion is associated with adverse outcomes. Research in this area is scarce, showing methodological diversity and heterogeneous samples, which limits the generalizability of the findings. Future research should prioritize longitudinal designs and interventions to promote harmonious passion and the satisfaction of BPNs.

This study examines the influence of passion on motivational regulation and subjective well-being in young footballers, drawing on the Dualistic Model of Passion (DMP), Self-Determination Theory (SDT), and Organismic Integration Theory (OIT). A total of 390 male youth football players (aged 13–17) completed validated measures assessing harmonious and obsessive passion, motivation regulation, life satisfaction, and affect. Structural equation modeling revealed that harmonious passion positively predicted self-determined motivation and negatively predicted non-self-determined motivation. In turn, self-determined motivation was associated with higher life satisfaction and positive affect, and lower negative affect. Obsessive passion demonstrated the opposite pattern. Mediation analyses confirmed the indirect effects of passion on well-being through motivational regulation. These findings underscore the importance of promoting harmonious passion and autonomous motivation to foster well-being in youth sports. Practical implications for coaches and sports psychologists are discussed, emphasizing strategies for cultivating adaptive passion and motivational profiles.