Changes to autonomous motivation and reductions in amotivation led to positive mental health in overweight male football fans: a causal mediation analysis of the European fans in training (EuroFIT) trial

AI Summary

EuroFIT produced small to moderate improvements in vitality, well-being, and self-esteem at 12 months, partly explained by increased autonomous motivation.
Reductions in amotivation at post-program partly mediated positive changes across all three outcomes at 12-month follow-up.
Indirect effects were sensitive to mediator outcome confounding; after controlling for post-program outcome increases, only autonomous motivation mediated self-esteem.

AI Summary

RESULTS: We found evidence of indirect effects of autonomous motivation on vitality (b=.487, 95% CI:.229,.767, p<.001) well-being (b=.063, 95% CI:.003,.131, p=.038) and self-esteem (b=.491, 95% CI:.278,.701, p<.001), but not controlled motivation, at 12-months follow-up in the EuroFIT trial. When controlling for increases in outcome variables at post-program, only the mediating effect of autonomous motivation on self-esteem remained significant, whereas the indirect pathway through reductions in amotivation remained significant for all outcomes. CONCLUSION: EuroFIT program produced small-to-moderate improvements in vitality, well-being, and self-esteem at 12-month follow-up that were partly explained by post-program increases in autonomous motivation and reductions in amotivation.

Basic summary

Psychol Health. 2026 May 25:1-20. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2026.2677081. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Do post-program motivational regulations mediate the intervention effect of the SDT-based European Fans in Training (EuroFIT) program on self-esteem, well-being and vitality at 12-months follow-up?

METHODS: A causal mediation analysis of data from the randomised controlled trial of the EuroFIT program that recruited 1113 overweight, male football fans in England, Norway, Portugal and the Netherlands.

RESULTS: We found evidence of indirect effects of autonomous motivation on vitality (b=.487, 95% CI: .229, .767, p<.001) well-being (b=.063, 95% CI: .003, .131, p=.038) and self-esteem (b=.491, 95% CI: .278, .701, p<.001), but not controlled motivation, at 12-months follow-up in the EuroFIT trial. We also found that reductions in amotivation at post-program partly explained positive increases across outcomes at 12-months follow-up. When controlling for increases in outcome variables at post-program, only the mediating effect of autonomous motivation on self-esteem remained significant, whereas the indirect pathway through reductions in amotivation remained significant for all outcomes. None of the indirect effects were robust to potential mediator-outcome confounding.

CONCLUSION: EuroFIT program produced small-to-moderate improvements in vitality, well-being, and self-esteem at 12-month follow-up that were partly explained by post-program increases in autonomous motivation and reductions in amotivation. All indirect effects estimates were sensitive to potential mediator-outcome confounding.

PMID:42183620 | DOI:10.1080/08870446.2026.2677081

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