DISCUSSION This study investigated the basic psychological needs in exercise of regular exercisers regarding gender, age, exercise type, and period of exercise participation. According to the research findings, a statistically significant difference was found in the relatedness subscale of the basic psychological needs in exercise concerning gender. Female exercisers had higher scores in the subscale of relatedness than male exercisers indicates that females are more committed to their relationships in exercise environments than males (Vlachopoulos & Michailidou, 2006). In this respect, it is possible to say that females have a higher sense of belonging to the exercise environments they interact with and are therefore more satisfied. The low scores of the male exercisers in the relatedness subscale can be explained by the fact that they feel the need for relationships less. This finding was in line with the findings of

Kirkland et al. (2011) study with older adults, which reported that female exercisers had significantly higher scores than males in the psychological need of relatedness. Similarly, ankaya (2009) and Goulimaris et al. (2014) stated that while there was no significant difference between genders in the subscales of autonomy and competence, females had higher scores in the subscale of relatedness. These studies noted that females wellness increased, and their psychological well-being improved by meeting their basic psychological needs through exercise programs. In this respect, it can be said that females benefit more psychologically (reduction in anxiety, depression, stress, etc.) by participating in exercise programs than men. In the literature, it is seen that females fulfilled their relatedness needs more than males in terms of establishing bonds and making sense of relationships in daily life (ankaya, 2009;

Sar et al., 2011). When the success of women in controlling their social behaviors and emotions stemming from their gender roles (Ertrk et al., 2016) is combined with the positive feelings (wellness and psychological well-being) to be obtained by participating in exercises, it is thought that the need for bonding related to the interaction with the environment is fulfilled more. However, some studies also did not find gender differences in basic psychological needs Pamukkale J Sport Sci, 14(3), 368-383, 2023 376 Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Among Adult Uygurta & alar among regular exercisers (ner, 2019; Standage et al., 2005; Vlachopoulos & Karavani, 2009). Both male and female individuals participating in exercise programs may need to be offered

The results of this study showed that younger individuals had lower scores in the relatedness subscale compared to older participants. Young adult exercisers may not care about the sense of belonging and interaction in their exercise environment compared to older exercisers. ner (2019) conducted a study on individuals who participated in regular exercise for an average of 4.49 years and concluded that 20-29 years old individuals scored significantly lower in all subscales, including the subscale of relatedness, compared to individuals aged 3039 years and over 40 years. Goulimaris et al. (2014) reported that, in parallel with the present results, as the age of the participants increased, they had significantly higher scores in the relatedness subscale. Kirkland et al. (2011) examined the relationship between motivation, exercise, and basic psychological needs; they concluded that autonomy, competence, and