The positive association between perceived parental responsiveness and self-esteem, anxiety, and thriving among youth rugby players: A multigroup analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between young players' perception of mother's and father's responsiveness with their self-esteem, anxiety (i.e., worry), and thriving (i.e., positive affect, vitality, and life satisfaction). In total, 314 male British rugby players with a mean age of 16.23 years (SD = 0.26) completed the study in two phases: n = 124 (first dataset), and n = 192 (second dataset). Participants trained on average 3.14 times/week (SD = 0.94) and had been involved in rugby for an average of 8.21 years (SD = 2.89). Participants completed questionnaires measuring perceived parental responsiveness (PPR) for their mother and father, self-esteem, worry about sport performance, and thriving indicators (i.e., positive affect, vitality, and life satisfaction). The results consistently indicated that participants' perceptions of their mother's and father's responsiveness positively related to thriving, and negatively related to their worry about sport performance, mediated by their self-esteem. Overall, the study highlights the need for parents to be provided with insights into the value of being responsive to their child and being encouraged to regularly talk with their child regarding their needs and desires, and seeking to understand how their child perceives the support they currently receive.

Monkey see, monkey do? Exploring parent-athlete behaviours from youth athletes' perspective

“…Aligning with previous research exploring parent's self-reported positive behaviours ( 16 , 17 ), the current study suggests athletes perceive a similarly high prevalence of positive parent behaviours in sport. Given that positive parent behaviour in sport has been identified to improve youth self-esteem ( 25 ), life skill development ( 26 ), and reduce anxiety ( 27 ), this finding is promising, and we should be encouraging parent positive behaviours to continue. Indeed, research has shown that youth found more enjoyment in their sporting experience when there was active and positive parental involvement in the form of encouragement from the sidelines ( 28 ).…”

Examining social support and self-esteem in high-performance sportswomen in Spain

“…Therefore, it seems that selfesteem does improve with the social support network, but it is necessary to determine with what type of sources it improves (Galante & Ward, 2017;Pedrosa et al, 2012;Park et al, 2020). In fact, participating in a competitive sport can improve the self-esteem of adolescent athletes and it is also likely that this engagement strengthens athletes' relationships with their family (Kang et al, 2015;Mastrogianni et al, 2020;Rouquette et al, 2021).…”

“…In the field of sport psychology, social support is an external resource that helps athletes cope better with stress (Katagami & Tsuchiya, 2016). And, in some studies it is evident that athletes' perceptions of parental support are related to their sport performance mediated by self-esteem (Rouquette et al, 2021). In Gabana et al (2017) study conducted with Olympic athletes and their coaches note that the provision of support is personally and professionally rewarding and the athletes appeared highly dependent on their support providers.…”

Common Issues and Differences in Motivational Support and the Effects of Rugby for the U-15 and U-16 National Teams

“…A study conducted on young Spanish rugby players (15-19 years old) identified the importance of the models offered by parents and their role/influence in playing the game in the early years, but also draws attention to the low popularity in the media [63], a situation similar to the state of rugby in Romania. The parents of young rugby players are advised to constantly talk to them about their wishes and needs and to provide them with the support they need [64]. The study of 314 boys in England (average age of 16.23 years) showed positive associations between parents' receptivity to youth prosperity/vitality and negative associations between parents' receptivity to athletes' anxiety and anxiety levels before and after competitions, mediated by self-esteem.…”