![]() SDT establishes two types of motivation: intrinsic, which refers to more self-determined behaviours where the person acts of their own free will or for their own enjoyment, and extrinsic, which refers to more controlled behaviours where the individual’s motivation comes from the outside and implies a certain pressure to behave in a certain way. ![]() Īccording to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), motivation occurs as a continuous process involving different degrees of autonomy. Specifically, research has found that one of the factors that most influences physical activity performance is self-determined motivation. Similarly, there are a number of circumstances that make exercise difficult or prevent it, such as lack of time, lack of social support, economic difficulties, physical discomfort, and lack of motivation. It is known that these benefits are affected by the prior beliefs and expectations that the person had towards that physical activity. Psychological well-being is made up of self-acceptance, positive relationships, autonomy, mastery of the environment, purpose in life, and personal growth. In short, physical activity and exercise are associated with psychological and social well-being. Likewise, physical activity is positively related to better academic performance among university students. In addition, at a psychological level, physical activity improves mental health and quality of life, reduces stress and anxiety, lowers the risk of depression, and improves the quality of sleep. Physical activity implies multiple benefits, such as the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, better control of body weight, less presence of chronic pain, better bone density and better physical fitness, greater muscle strength, and lower risk of mortality. This situation has now been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, it is known that during the passage from adolescence to adulthood there is a greater decrease in physical activity, this decrease coinciding with the beginning of university study. Likewise, there are also differences between the sexes, with girls and young women being the most sedentary. ![]() In general, the population is more physically inactive in developed countries. Despite this, globally, physical inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle occur in almost 30% of adults and in more than 80% of school-age adolescents. It is recommended that young adults engage in at least an average of 60 min per day of moderate physical activity or a minimum of 150 min of vigorous physical activity per week. Lack of physical activity is one of the main risk factors for premature death, along with smoking and poor diet. This study therefore emphasizes the clear influence of physical activity on the psychological well-being of young adults and highlights the need to work on intrinsic motivation to improve levels of physical activity. In addition, motivation, and more specifically intrinsic motivation, was an important determinant of psychological well-being, gaining greater influence among male participants who had a higher level of physical activity. Starting from a final sample of 489 subjects aged between 18 and 35 years, a higher level of physical activity was found to be related to higher psychological well-being. An online survey was applied between December 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, in which the level of activity, motivation, and psychological well-being of the participants were measured. To do this, a descriptive cross-sectional correlational study was carried out together with a multiple linear regression analysis. Thus, the general aim of this work was to explore the association between physical activity, motivation, and psychological well-being in young adults. Although, it has been observed that the motivation to perform physical activity seems to be an important factor when starting and then keeping it up. However, recent years have seen an increase in the percentage of young adults showing high levels of inactivity. Physical activity is a key element in people’s health as it provides important physical benefits, as well as improves mental health and quality of life.
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