- Intrinsic motivation and mental resilience strongly predict self-perceived athletic performance, with intrinsic motivation the strongest independent predictor (β = 0.42).
- Pre-competition nutrition and nutritional adherence independently associate with better performance and buffer stress-related performance decline (interaction β = -0.23, p = 0.014).
- Cognitive anxiety negatively correlates with performance and, alongside the model explaining 61% variance, underscores need for integrated mental and nutritional support.
Front Nutr. 2026 Jul 27;13:1901744. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1901744. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Athletic performance reflects the interplay of physical, psychological, and nutritional factors. Although the individual roles of mental and dietary factors are increasingly recognized, their combined relationship with performance within a defined sports organization has rarely been examined.
OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study examined the associations of psychological factors (motivation, anxiety, mental resilience, self-confidence) and self-reported nutritional practices with self-perceived athletic performance among athletes affiliated with a sports organization in Rizhao, Shandong, China (n = 100).
METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional, analytical design was used. One hundred actively competing athletes completed self-report instruments comprising an adapted Athletic Mental Energy Scale and selected Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2R) subscales (motivation, cognitive and somatic anxiety, mental resilience, self-confidence; 5-point Likert scaling), a nutritional practices questionnaire (pre-competition nutrition, hydration, meal regularity, supplement use), and a self-perceived performance rating (0-10). Data were analyzed in SPSS (v26) using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression controlling for age, sport type, and competitive level, and a moderation analysis; statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
RESULTS: Intrinsic motivation showed the strongest positive association with self-perceived performance (r = 0.68, p < 0.001), followed by self-reported pre-competition nutrition (r = 0.62) and mental resilience (r = 0.59), whereas cognitive anxiety was negatively associated (r = -0.51). In multiple regression, the model explained 61% of the variance (R 2 = 0.61; F(6,93) = 24.3, p < 0.001), with intrinsic motivation (β = 0.42), mental resilience (β = 0.31), and pre-competition nutrition (β = 0.28) as the strongest independent predictors and cognitive anxiety as a significant negative predictor (β = -0.19); supplement use was not significant (β = 0.09). Nutritional adherence significantly moderated the stress-performance association (interaction β = -0.23, p = 0.014), such that higher adherence was associated with a smaller decline in performance at higher stress levels.
CONCLUSION: Within this organization, psychological factors and nutritional practices were jointly associated with self-perceived athletic performance. Integrated support combining motivational and mental-skills strategies with structured nutritional guidance appears important for athlete development, although the cross-sectional, self-report design precludes causal inference.
PMID:42577298 | PMC:PMC13454024 | DOI:10.3389/fnut.2026.1901744
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