Coaches' Impact on Youth Athletes' Intentions to Continue Sport Participation: The Mediational Influence of the Coach-Athlete Relationship

Document Type

Presentation

Presentation Date

2019

Abstract or Description

Poster presented at the Southeast Regional Conference of the American Association of Sport Psychology

Approximately 60 million youth participate in sports each year, however about 70% of these youth athletes drop out of sport by age 13 despite the numerous positive benefits of sport participation (National Alliance for Youth Sports, 2016; National Council for Youth Sports, 2008). Self-determination theory has been utilized to investigate athletes’ motivations (Rocchi, Pelletier, & Desmarais, 2016; Ryan & Deci, 2000). Specifically, interpersonal coaching behaviors that satisfy these basic psychological needs have been shown to impact sport persistence (Curran, Hill, Hall, & Jowett, 2014; Curran, Hill, Ntoumanis, Hall, & Jowett, 2016). The coach-athlete relationship has also been found to be related to sport persistence (Gardner, Magee, & Vella, 2016; Rottensteiner, Konttinen, & Laakso, 2015). The quality of the coach-athlete relationship and interpersonal coaching behaviors that emphasize the satisfaction of basic needs have been found to be positively associated with one another (Felton & Jowett, 2013; Jowett, et al., 2017; Riley & Smith, 2011). The relationships between interpersonal coaching behaviors, the coach-athlete relationship, and intentions to continue sport participation have been examined independently, however, these variables have not been examined collectively. This study investigates if the quality of the coach-athlete relationship mediates the relationship between interpersonal coaching behaviors and intentions to continue sport participation. Participants will complete a series of questionnaires to explore the relationships between coach interpersonal behaviors, the coach-athlete relationship, and intentions to continue sport participation. Pearson’s Product Moment Correlations will be calculated, and significant relationships (α < .05) will be included in mediation analyses. It is hypothesized that perceptions of the quality of the coach-athlete relationship will mediate the relationship between supportive coach interpersonal behaviors and intentions to continue sport participation in youth athletes. Further, perceptions of the quality of the coach-athlete relationship will mediate the relationship between thwarting coach interpersonal behaviors and intentions to continue sport participation.

Sponsorship/Conference/Institution

Southeast Regional Conference of the American Association of Sport Psychology

Location

Statesboro, GA

Source

https://appliedsportpsych.org/students-center/regional-conferences/

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