Understanding How Sport Activity Shapes Work Attitudes: The Mediating Role of Impulsivity Among Social Welfare Professionals

This study investigates the relationships between living with sports (sport-oriented lifestyle), impulsivity, and attitudes toward working life among social welfare professionals in Türkiye, with a specific focus on the mediating role of impulsivity. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was employed, collecting data from 1,534 participants aged 18 and older via an online survey. The majority of the sample consisted of women (67.2%), with a mean age of 28.96 years. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS for preliminary statistics and IBM AMOS for confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). Living with sports was negatively associated with impulsivity (β = -0.072, p < .05) and positively associated with attitudes toward working life (β = 0.064, p < .05). Impulsivity was negatively related to attitudes toward working life (β = -0.185, p < .001) and significantly mediated the relationship between living with sports and work attitudes (β = 0.013, p < .05). The model accounted for 5.5% of the variance in impulsivity and 4.4% in attitudes toward working life. The study results suggest that a lifestyle enriched by regular sports participation can reduce impulsive tendencies and support the development of more positive work attitudes among social welfare professionals. This study provides novel empirical evidence on the triadic relationship between sport-oriented lifestyle, impulsivity, and work attitudes. It highlights the importance of integrating sport-based activities into organizational strategies to support emotional regulation, well-being, and sustainable professional engagement in social services.