Kaçay, Zülbiye; Seçer, Emrah; Işık, Özkan; Şahinler, Yunus; Talaghir, Laurentiu-Gabriel; Constantinescu, Mariana; Benţea, Cristina-Corina; Iconomescu, Teodora Mihaela

Introduction – The present study aimed to examine the effect of sport mindfulness on athlete burnout among Olympic combat sport athletes and to investigate the mediating role of athlete self-compassion and the moderating role of emotion regulation in this relationship. Methods – This study employed a cross-sectional correlational research design and included 379 athletes (279 men and 100 women) actively competing in Olympic combat sports. Data were collected using the Mindfulness Inventory for Sport, the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire, the Self-Compassion Scale–Athlete Version-Short Form and the Athlete Emotion Regulation Scale. The construct validity of the measurement instruments was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. Relationships among the study variables were examined using Pearson correlation analysis. The proposed hypotheses were tested using the PROCESS macro, specifically Models 4, 1, and 14. Results – The findings indicated that sport mindfulness positively and significantly predicted athlete self-compassion (B = 0.155, p < 0.001). Athlete self-compassion, in turn, was found to have a significant negative effect on athlete burnout (B = −0.798, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the interaction between athlete self-compassion and emotion regulation significantly predicted athlete burnout (B = −0.060, p < 0.001). The moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that emotion regulation significantly moderated the indirect association between sport mindfulness and athlete burnout (Index = −0.009). Examination of the conditional indirect effects revealed that the burnout-reducing effect of sport mindfulness through athlete self-compassion was stronger among athletes with higher levels of emotion regulation. Conclusion – The findings suggest that the association between sport mindfulness and athlete burnout cannot be explained solely by a direct relationship. Rather, this relationship operates through athlete self-compassion and varies according to athletes' levels of emotion regulation. These findings underscore the importance of integrating mindfulness-based skills, self-compassion development, and emotion regulation capacity into interventions designed to enhance psychological resilience and prevent burnout among combat sport athletes.

Mallı, Ahmet Yavuz; Düğenci, Abdullah; Ayhan, Cihan; Seçer, Emrah; Kaçay, Zülbiye; Şahinler, Yunus; Işık, Özkan

Social media addiction is a phenomenon that may adversely affect adolescent mental health and is increasingly recognized as a public health concern by international authorities such as the World Health Organization. Understanding the potential mechanisms underlying the association between social media addiction and psychological well-being is important for informing effective intervention strategies. This study aimed to examine the sequential mediating role of physical activity and loneliness in the association between social media addiction and adolescents’ psychological well-being. This cross-sectional study included 290 high school students (mean age = 15.73; 59% female, 41% male) enrolled in high schools in Türkiye. Data were collected using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Short Form), and the Psychological Well-Being Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Normality assumptions were first examined, followed by descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analyses to assess the relationships among the study variables. Subsequently, Hayes’ PROCESS Macro Model 6, a bootstrap-based sequential mediation analysis, was employed to examine the hypothesized indirect associations. Social media addiction was significantly and negatively associated with psychological well-being. The sequential mediation analysis indicated that social media addiction is associated with lower levels of physical activity, which in turn is associated with higher levels of loneliness, and that the proposed sequential indirect association with psychological well-being was statistically significant (indirect effect = -0.0259, 95% CI [-0.0488, -0.0072]). Conclusion The results indicate that physical activity and loneliness may represent an important sequential pathway in the association between social media addiction and adolescents’ psychological well-being. Accordingly, public health interventions targeting adolescent mental health may benefit from addressing social media use while also promoting physical activity as a potential component of strategies to support psychological well-being.

Ekinci, Hasan Buğra; Birkok, Mehmet Cüneyt; Kaçay, Zülbiye; Işık, Özkan; Talaghir, Laurentiu Gabriel; Coja, Daniel Mădălin; Berdila, Anamaria; Olaru, Bogdan Sorin

Purpose – This study examined the relationship between social media addiction and cyberbullying sensibility among team sports athletes. In addition, the mediating role of digital literacy and the moderating role of difficulties in emotion regulation were investigated within this relationship. Methodology – The study included 265 licensed team sports athletes from Erzincan, Türkiye. Data were collected using measures of social media addiction, cyberbullying sensibility, digital literacy, and difficulties in emotion regulation. The construct validity of the scales was assessed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS Macro Models 4 and 14 with bootstrap-based regression procedures. Result – The findings showed that social media addiction was significantly associated with digital literacy, and digital literacy showed a significant positive relationship with cyberbullying sensibility. The indirect relationship between social media addiction and cyberbullying sensibility through digital literacy was statistically significant. In addition, this indirect association was more pronounced among athletes with lower difficulties in emotion regulation, whereas it was not significant among those with higher difficulties in emotion regulation. These findings support a moderated mediation model based on conditional associations. Conclusion – The findings suggest that digital literacy plays a mediating role in the relationship between social media addiction and cyberbullying sensibility among team sports athletes. Furthermore, difficulties in emotion regulation appear to influence the strength of this indirect relationship. The study highlights the importance of considering both digital competencies and emotional processes in understanding athletes' experiences in digital environments.

Gayretli, Zafer; Secer, Emrah; Baic, Mario; Yavuz, Alisan; Koc, Mustafa Can; Isik, Ozkan

Purpose – This study aimed to examine the effect of mental wellbeing on anger and aggression among combat sports athletes and to investigate the mediating role of psychological resilience and the moderating role of professionalism in this relationship. The study sought to conceptually elucidate the associations between athletes’ psychological resources and their levels of anger and aggression. Method – The study was designed using a relational survey model and included 333 Olympic combat sports athletes (181 males, 152 females). Data were collected using the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale–Short Form, the Competitive Aggressiveness and Anger Scale, the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale–Short Form, and the Professionalism Scale for Athletes. The validity of the measurement models was tested through confirmatory factor analysis (AMOS 21). Hypotheses were tested using SPSS 25 and Hayes’ PROCESS Macro Models 4, 1, and 14. Results – The indirect effect of mental wellbeing on anger and aggression through psychological resilience was found to be significant (b = −0.302, 95% CI [−0.479, −0.148]), explaining approximately 9% of the total variance. The moderating effect of professionalism was examined, and the interaction between psychological resilience and professionalism was found to be statistically significant (b = −0.032, 95% CI [−0.051, −0.012]). Interaction analyses indicated that the effects were stronger at higher levels of professionalism. A conditional process analysis (PROCESS Model 14) revealed that professionalism moderated the indirect effect (b = −0.029, 95% CI [−0.047, −0.014]); specifically, the effect of mental wellbeing on anger and aggression through psychological resilience became more pronounced when professionalism was high. Conclusion – The findings demonstrate that mental wellbeing has a significant effect on anger and aggression among combat sports athletes through psychological resilience. This effect was stronger among athletes with higher levels of professionalism, highlighting its critical role in reducing anger and aggression. The results suggest that psychological resilience and professionalism are key factors in emotional regulation and performance management among athletes. Future studies may benefit from employing longitudinal and experimental designs to examine the effects of mental wellbeing on psychological resilience over time.