Advancing the study of parental involvement to optimise the psychosocial development and experiences of young athletes

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to review and critique the literature in youth sport that specifically relates to parental influence on the experiences and psychosocial development of young athletes. First, we consider the literature examining the extent to which parental involvement in organised youth sport has been associated with psychosocial outcomes in young people. Within this critique, we draw upon what has been learned from the sport-based positive youth development (PYD) and life skills literature. Second, we address conceptual and methodological limitations of existing literature (e.g., homogeneity of samples, oversimplification of parenting in sport, studying parental involvement in isolation) and target key scientific gaps that exist in facilitating our understanding of optimal parental involvement (e.g., raising parental awareness and facilitating opportunities to support psychosocial development, improving coach education to facilitate parent-coach relationships, collaborating with coaches through well designed interventions, working on the "right" assets at the right time). Such gaps represent how parents appear to have been overlooked within the intentional process of psychosocial development. We offer concluding remarks about the future of youth sport in this area and provide specific recommendations to inspire future researchers and practitioners towards the challenge of empowering parents and more fully enabling their potential.

Morality and Values in Sports Among Young Athletes: The Role of Sport Type and Parenting Styles – A Pilot Study

“…In the context of sports, the role of socialization is key to understanding aspects of an athlete’s sensations, ideals, and values (see: Lev, 2019 ). Regarding family and the process through which young athletes learn the values and norms of sports culture, children’s experiences can be molded based on their exposure to motivational, cognitive, and affective responses ( Harwood et al, 2019 ). Family influences also affect young athletes’ embrace of positive values and satisfaction, and their approach and comportment, in times of stress, toward sport and physical activity ( Tamminen et al, 2016 ; Lev et al, 2020 ).…”

Group Conflict Questionnaire: Adaptation and Evidences of Validity for Portuguese-Speaking Athletes

“…To understand what positive and effective aspects of sports group interactions benefit the well-being and performance of those involved, sport psychology researchers have been thoroughly studying group dynamics in the sports context (Chu & Zhang, 2019;Eys & Brawley, 2018). Their investigation of variables such as leadership (Fransen, Decroos, Broek, & Boen, 2016;Kim & Cruz, 2016), the coach-athlete relationship (Jowett, 2017), parental involvement (Harwood, Knight, Thrower, & Berrow, 2019), collective efficacy (Chow & Feltz, 2007), motivation (Clancy, Herring, MacIntyre, & Campbell, 2016), and group cohesion (Eys & Brawley, 2018) in sports have shown the benefits, risks, and complexities of group membership.…”

Aplicación del modelo de las 5Cs para la formación de entrenadores: Un ejemplo de práctica basada en la evidencia.

“…Estos resultados van en línea con lo encontrado por Holt et al (2016) ya que, más allá del entrenador, existen otros agentes del contexto deportivo que influyen en la promoción del desarrollo psicosocial de los deportistas (i.e., familias, organización y compañeros). Además, Harwood et al (2019) y Strachan et al (2011) encontraron que implicar a las familias en el proceso de formación era clave para que los programas de promoción del desarrollo de los deportistas tuvieran éxito.…”