The Effect of Psychological Needs on the Quality of Coworker Relationships with the Mediating Role of Job Emotions among Sports Employees in Basra Province, Iraq
Keywords:
Psychological needs, coworker relationship quality, job emotionsAbstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of psychological needs on the quality of coworker relationships with the mediating role of job emotions among sports employees in Basra Province, Iraq. The research method was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive–correlational in nature. The statistical population included all employees of the Departments of Sport and Youth, sports federations, and staff members of clubs and sports teams in Basra Province. Using simple random sampling, 274 individuals were selected as the sample. For data collection, the study used the Work-Related Basic Need Satisfaction Scale by Gagné (2003), the Coworker Relationship Quality Questionnaire by Moradian and colleagues (2022), and the Job-Related Affective Well-Being Scale by Van Katwyk and colleagues (2000). Face and content validity were confirmed through the opinions of experts in sports management, and the overall reliability of the questionnaires was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Structural equation modeling was applied for data analysis. The results showed that the path coefficient between the psychological need for competence and coworker relationship quality was 0.220, between relatedness and coworker relationship quality was 0.346, and between autonomy and coworker relationship quality was 0.278, indicating a direct and significant relationship between the variables (p-value = 0.001). In addition, the findings revealed that the mediating effects of the needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence on coworker relationship quality through job emotions were confirmed at a 95% confidence level. Therefore, it can be stated that improving the quality of relationships among employees depends on satisfying fundamental psychological needs—competence, autonomy, and relatedness—and on paying attention to employees’ job emotions. Managers of sports organizations in Basra Province should consider these two factors and work to strengthen them among staff.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Ibrahim Musaab Yaseen Al Rawdhan, Mohammad Taghi Aghdasi, Yaghoub Badriazarin (Author)
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