Do Athletes Differ in Religious Coping: Gender Perspective of Sports Motivation

Abstract

Religion plays an important role in shaping athletes’ coping strategies and psychological functioning; however, little re‑ search has explored how these coping mechanisms affect motivation in competitive sports, especially within Muslim‑majority contexts. This study investigated the influence of positive and negative religious coping on sports motivation, with a particular focus on the moderating role of gender. To address this gap, data were collected from 357 athletes (125 females, 232 males) aged between 18 and 65 years, all formally registered in national, international, university, college, or club‑level competitions in Pakistan. The Brief Religious Coping Scale (B‑RCOPE) was used to assess coping strategies, while the Sport Motivation Scale‑II (SMS‑II) measured athletes’ motivation. Results showed that religious coping strategies accounted for 39% of the variance in sports motivation. Both positive and negative religious coping significantly influenced motivation, confirming their relevance in athletes’ psychological processes. Furthermore, gender moderated these relationships, indicating meaningful differences in how male and female athletes employ religious coping to shape their motivation. Analyses were performed using SMART‑PLS, which allowed for multi‑group comparisons and testing of predictive validity. The findings highlight the significance of religious coping and gender differences in understanding sports motivation. Future research is encouraged to extend the model by examining additional psychological factors that may further explain athletes’ motivational outcomes.