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A Biopsychosocial Model of Athlete Performance: Integrating Psychological Skills, Coaching Competence, Nutritional Readiness and Well-Being Among Nigerian University Athletes
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Sport and Exercise Science
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I2-1722340
Abstract
A biopsychosocial approach to athlete performance was adopted by considering the interrelationships and combined predictive power of psychological skills, coaching competence, nutritional readiness, and athlete well-being on athlete performance among Nigerian university athletes. A correlational research design was used. The study was carried out during the pre-NUGA trials conducted at the University of Port Harcourt, during which athletes from the University of Port Harcourt, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rivers State University, Niger Delta University, and Bayelsa Medical University participated. A sample of 171 athletes was selected from the 300 who participated in this study by applying Yamane's formula, and a total of 149 valid responses were received (87% return rate). The Structured Biopsychosocial Athlete Performance Questionnaire was used to gather data to evaluate psychological skills, coaching competence, nutritional readiness, athlete well-being, and competitive performance. Mean, standard deviation, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis at the 0.05 level of significance. The descriptive results yielded a grand mean of 3.27 for the biopsychosocial factors domain and a grand mean of 3.27 for the competitive performance domain, indicating positive perceptions in both domains. Pearson correlation showed positive and significant correlation between the biopsychosocial factors and competitive performance (r = .68, p < .05). The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that psychological skills, coaching competence, nutritional readiness, and athlete well-being collectively predicted competitive performance significantly (R = .78, R² = .61, F(4, 144) = 56.24, p < .001) accounting for 61% of the variance in performance. Coaching competence was the greatest unique contributor, followed by athlete well-being, psychological skills, and nutritional readiness. The study findings show that the overall psychological, coaching, nutritional, and well-being environment of the Nigerian sportspersons in the university setting is interconnected and affects their competitive performance. In the context of university sport in Nigeria, therefore, an integrated biopsychosocial approach for the preparation, development, and management of athletes is recommended.
Keywords
biopsychosocial model, athlete performance, psychological skills, coaching competence, nutritional readiness, athlete well-being, Nigerian university athletes
How to cite this paper
@article{1722340,
author = {Ochor, D. C., Prof. Amasiatu, A. N., Nwanesi, B. O., Jonathan, R. E., Igoh, S.},
title = {A Biopsychosocial Model of Athlete Performance: Integrating Psychological Skills, Coaching Competence, Nutritional Readiness and Well-Being Among Nigerian University Athletes},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {2},
pages = {1454-1461},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1722340.pdf},
abstract = {A biopsychosocial approach to athlete performance was adopted by considering the interrelationships and combined predictive power of psychological skills, coaching competence, nutritional readiness, and athlete well-being on athlete performance among Nigerian university athletes. A correlational research design was used. The study was carried out during the pre-NUGA trials conducted at the University of Port Harcourt, during which athletes from the University of Port Harcourt, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rivers State University, Niger Delta University, and Bayelsa Medical University participated. A sample of 171 athletes was selected from the 300 who participated in this study by applying Yamane's formula, and a total of 149 valid responses were received (87% return rate). The Structured Biopsychosocial Athlete Performance Questionnaire was used to gather data to evaluate psychological skills, coaching competence, nutritional readiness, athlete well-being, and competitive performance. Mean, standard deviation, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis at the 0.05 level of significance. The descriptive results yielded a grand mean of 3.27 for the biopsychosocial factors domain and a grand mean of 3.27 for the competitive performance domain, indicating positive perceptions in both domains. Pearson correlation showed positive and significant correlation between the biopsychosocial factors and competitive performance (r = .68, p < .05). The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that psychological skills, coaching competence, nutritional readiness, and athlete well-being collectively predicted competitive performance significantly (R = .78, R² = .61, F(4, 144) = 56.24, p < .001) accounting for 61% of the variance in performance. Coaching competence was the greatest unique contributor, followed by athlete well-being, psychological skills, and nutritional readiness. The study findings show that the overall psychological, coaching, nutritional, and well-being environment of the Nigerian sportspersons in the university setting is interconnected and affects their competitive performance. In the context of university sport in Nigeria, therefore, an integrated biopsychosocial approach for the preparation, development, and management of athletes is recommended.},
keywords = {biopsychosocial model, athlete performance, psychological skills, coaching competence, nutritional readiness, athlete well-being, Nigerian university athletes},
month = {August},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I2-1722340}
}