Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to investigate the mediating role of injury anxiety in the relationship between mental training and flow state among wheelchair basketball athletes. Although mental training is known to be essential for enhancing athletic performance, the underlying mechanisms through which it affects psychological states such as flow have been studied very limitedly, especially in adaptive sports. METHODS: The research was conducted using a correlational survey model within a quantitative research framework. The study sample consisted of a total of 153 elite male wheelchair basketball athletes competing in leagues in Türkiye. Hayes' Process Macro Model was used to test the mediating effect in the analysis of the data. RESULTS: The analyses revealed that mental training significantly reduced injury anxiety (β = -0.328, p < 0.001), accounting for 7.6% of its variance. Injury anxiety had a significant negative effect on optimal performance (β = -0.3380, p < 0.001). The direct effect of mental training on performance remained positive and significant (β = 0.4324, p < 0.001). Together, the variables explained 43% of the variance in optimal performance. The total effect of mental training was also significant (β = 0.543, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the findings of this study reveal that mental training plays a significant role in both reducing injury anxiety and enhancing optimal performance among wheelchair basketball players. It was determined that injury anxiety functions as a mediating variable in the relationship between mental training and flow.