Enjoyment as a motivational driver of sport continuation: a moderated mediation model of engagement and social support

Introduction and aim – The present study aimed to examine the effect of enjoyment of physical activities on intention to continue sport participation and to determine the mediating role of sport engagement and the moderating role of perceived social support in this relationship. Methods – This correlational study included 748 athletes (445 males, 303 females, M = 23.10, SD = 5.59). The Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale, Intention to Continue Sport Scale, Sport Engagement Scale, and Perceived Social Support Scale–Short Form were used as data collection instruments. The measurement model and construct validity of the scales were tested using confirmatory factor analysis (AMOS 21). Hypotheses were tested in SPSS 25 using PROCESS Macro models (4, 1, and 14). Results – To test the first hypothesis, the mediation effect was examined using PROCESS Model 4 (PACES → SES → ICSS). The indirect effect of PACES on ICSS via SES was found to be significant (b = 0.230, 95% CI [0.184, 0.279]). For the second hypothesis, PROCESS Model 1 was applied. The main effect of perceived social support (PSS) was not significant (b = 0.076, p > .05), whereas the interaction term representing the SES × PSS interaction was significant (b = −0.0147, 95% CI [−0.0245, −0.0049]), indicating that perceived social support moderated the relationship between sport engagement and intention to continue sport participation. To test the third hypothesis, a moderated mediation model (PROCESS Model 14) was conducted with PSS as a moderator. The index of moderated mediation was significant (b = −0.010, 95% CI [−0.020, −0.0005]), showing that perceived social support moderated the indirect effect of PACES on ICSS through SES. Conclusion – The findings revealed that the indirect effect of enjoyment of physical activities on intention to continue sport participation through sport engagement was stronger among athletes with lower perceived social support. Copyright © 2026 Kaçay, Seçer, Yıldız, Esentürk, Talaghir, Bentea, Ivan and Cristea.