The Moderating Role of Sports Participation in the Relationship between Adolescent Strengths Use Levels and Psychological Resilience

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, Early View

Published Online: 03 July 2026, Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.08

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

The Moderating Role of Sports Participation in the Relationship between Adolescent Strengths Use Levels and Psychological Resilience

Ergenlerin Güçlü Yönlerini Kullanım Düzeyleri ile Psikolojik Sağlamlık Arasındaki İlişkide Spora Katılımın Düzenleyici Rolü

İsa Kavalcı¹ , Gökhan Çakır¹ , Taner Erol²

Abstract:

This study is grounded in the assumption that adolescents’ use of their strengths supports their mental health. Within this framework, the relationship between the use of strengths and psychological resilience is examined, with participation in sports considered as a potential moderating variable. The primary aim of the study is to investigate the moderating role of sports participation in the relationship between adolescents’ use of strengths and psychological resilience. The study group consisted of 389 adolescents from six provinces located in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Strengths Use Scale for Adolescents, and the Psychological Resilience Scale for Children and Adolescents. Following these analyses, the arithmetic means and standard deviations of the participants’ responses were determined. Pearson correlation analysis was used to report the correlation coefficients between the scales. Finally, Model 1 of the PROCESS Macro 4.2 was used in SPSS 27 to test the moderating role of sports participation. The findings revealed that adolescents reported moderate levels of psychological resilience and of strengths use. A significant moderate positive correlation was found between strengths use and psychological resilience (r = 0.54; p <.01). In line with this finding, strengths use was found to significantly predict resilience (R² = 0.31; p <.01). Moreover, sports participation was found to have a moderating effect on the relationship between strengths use and resilience. In other words, the relationship between strength use and psychological resilience was stronger among adolescents who participated in sports compared to those who did not.

Keywords: Sport, Mental health, Adolescent strengths, Psychological resilience.

¹Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Faculty of Sport Science, Physical Education and Sports Department, Rize, Türkiye.

²Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Vocational School of Social Sciences, Public Relations and Publicity Program, Rize, Türkiye.

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Taner Erol, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Social Sciences Vocational School, Public Relations and Publicity Program, At Meydanı Neighborhood, Center/ Rize, E-mail: [email protected].

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 04.08.2025, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 24.10.2025, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 30.10.2025, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 03.07.2026

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Kalkavan, A., Kavalcı, İ., Çakır, G., & Erol, T. (2026). The moderating role of sports participation ın the relationship between adolescent strengths use levels and psychological resilience, Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 1-7, Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.08

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/