About 70% of youth athletes drop out of sport by age 13. Self-determination theory has been utilised to investigate athletes’ motivations for behaviours including sport persistence (i.e. continuation) and suggests that the coach can be an influence on such motivations. Basic need fulfillment via interpersonal coaching behaviours, the coach-athlete relationship (CAR), and intentions to continue sport participation have been examined independently and in various combinations and directions, but these variables have not been examined collectively in this manner. The purpose of this study was to determine if CAR quality mediates the relationship between interpersonal coaching behaviours and intentions to continue sport participation. Surveys were administered to 148 athletes ages 11 to 16 from organised sports teams. No significant indirect effects of mediation could be established. However, there was a significant and direct effect of competence-supportive behaviours on intentions (β = .341, p < .001). Overall, the total effects model was significant (F(1,146) = 18.762, p < .001, adjusted R2 = .114). Significant positive relationships were shown among supportive coach behaviours and CAR quality in addition to CAR quality and intentions. Negative relationships were demonstrated among thwarting coach behaviours and CAR quality. Results support that coaches’ competence-supportive behaviours can positively impact CAR quality and intentions to continue sport participation in youth athletes.
National Council of Youth Sports. Report on trends and participation in organised youth sports, www.ncys.org/ (2008, accessed 10 August 2020).
2.
CôtéJFraser-ThomasJ.Youth involvement in sport. In: CrockerPRE (ed) Sport psychology: a Canadian perspective.
Toronto, Canada:
Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007, pp.266–294.
3.
Fraser-ThomasJLCôtéJDeakinJ.Youth sport programs: an avenue to foster positive youth development. Phys Educ Sport Pedagogy2005;
10: 19–40.
4.
ZarrettNLernerRMCarranoJ, et al. Variations in adolescent engagement in sports and its influence on positive youth development. In: HoltNL (ed) Positive youth development through sport.
London, UK:
Routledge, 2008, pp.9–23.
5.
National Alliance for Youth Sports. AAP recommends delaying specialization until age 15, www.nays.org/ (2016, accessed 10 August 2020).
6.
AjzenI.The theory of planned behaviour. Organ Behav Hum Decis Processes1991;
50: 179–211.
7.
GardnerLVellaSAMageeCA.Enjoyment and behavioural intention predict organised youth sport participation and dropout. J Phys Act Health2017;
14: 861–865.
8.
BlomLCVisekAJHarrisBS.Triangulation in youth sport: healthy partnerships among parents, coaches, and practitioners. J Sport Psychol Action2013;
4: 86–96.
9.
SmithRESmollFL.Coaching behaviour and effectiveness in sport and exercise psychology. In: BraddickO (ed) Oxford research encyclopedia, psychology.
Oxford, UK:
Oxford University Press, 2017.
10.
CurranTHillAPHallHK, et al.
Perceived coach behaviours and athletes’ engagement and disaffection in youth sport: the mediating role of psychological needs.Int J Sport Psychol2014;
45: 559–580.
11.
CurranTHillAPHallHK, et al.
Relationships between the coach-created motivational climate and athlete engagement in youth sport. J Sport Exerc Psychol2015;
37: 193–198.
12.
CurranTHillAPNtoumanisN, et al.
A three-wave longitudinal test of self-determination theory’s mediation model of engagement and disaffection in youth sport. J Sport Exerc Psychol2016;
38: 15–29.
13.
DeciELRyanRM.The general causality orientations scale: self-determination in personality. J Res Pers1985;
19: 109–134.
14.
RyanRMDeciEL.Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. Am Psychol2000;
55: 68–78.
15.
CraneJRTempleVA.A systematic review of dropout from organised sport among children and youth. Eur Phys Educ Rev2015;
21: 114–131.
16.
RottensteinerCTolvanenALaaksoL, et al.
Youth athletes’ motivation, perceived competence, and persistence in organised team sports. J Sport Behav2015;
38: 432–449.
17.
FentonSAMDudaJLBarrettT.Optimising physical activity engagement during youth sport: a self-determination theory approach. J Sports Sci2016;
34: 1874–1884.
18.
JõesaarHHeinVHaggerMS.Youth athletes’ perception of autonomy support from the coach, peer motivational climate and intrinsic motivation in sport setting: one-year effects. Psychol Sport Exerc2012;
13: 257–262.
19.
RocchiMPelletierLDesmaraisP.The validity of the interpersonal behaviours questionnaire (IBQ) in sport. Meas Phys Educ Exerc Sci2017;
21: 15–21.
20.
VisekAJAchratiSMMannixHM, et al.
The fun integration theory: toward sustaining children and adolescents sport participation. J Phys Act Health2015;
12: 424–433.
21.
RothJLBrooks-GunnJ.Evaluating youth development programs: progress and promise. Appl Dev Sci2016;
20: 188–202.
22.
JowettSPoczwardowskiA.Understanding the coach-athlete relationship. In: JowettSLavalleeD (eds) Social psychology in sport.
Champaign, IL:
Human Kinetics, 2007, pp.3–14.
23.
JowettSNtoumanisN.The coach–athlete relationship questionnaire (CART-Q): development and initial validation. Scand J Med Sci Sports2004;
14: 245–257.
24.
FeltonLJowettS. “
What do coaches do” and “how do they relate”: their effects on athletes’ psychological needs and functioning. Scand J Med Sci Sports2013;
23: 130–139.
25.
JowettSAdieJWBartholomewKJ, et al.
Motivational processes in the coach-athlete relationship: a multi-cultural self-determination approach. Psychol Sport Exerc2017;
32: 143–152.
26.
RileyASmithA.Perceived coach–athlete and peer relationships of young athletes and self-determined motivation for sport. Int J Sport Psychol2011;
42: 115–133.
27.
GardnerLMageeCAVellaSA.Social climate profiles in adolescent sports: associations with enjoyment and intentions to continue. J Adolesc2016;
52: 112–123.
28.
RottensteinerCKonttinenNLaaksoL.Sustained participation in youth sports related to coach-athlete relationship and coach-created motivational climate. Int Sport Coaching J2015;
2: 29–38.
29.
ChoiHChoSHuhJ.The association between the perceived coach-athlete relationship and athletes’ basic psychological needs. Soc Behav Pers2013;
41: 1547–1556.
30.
FaulFErdfelderELangA-G, et al.
AG, and buchner A. G*power 3: a flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioural, and biomedical sciences. Behav Res Methods2007;
39: 175–191.
31.
VellaSAOadesLGCroweTP.The relationship between coach leadership, the coach–athlete relationship, team success, and the positive developmental experiences of adolescent soccer players. Phys Educ Sport Pedagogy2013;
18: 549–561.
32.
RocchiMPelletierLCheungS, et al.
Assessing need-supportive and need-thwarting interpersonal behaviours: the interpersonal behaviours questionnaire (IBQ). Pers Individ Dif2017;
104: 423–433.
33.
RocchiMPelletierL.Contexts, motivation, and coaching behaviours: a self-determination theory perspective on coach-athlete relationships. PhD Thesis, University of Ottawa, Canada, 2016.
34.
RocchiMPelletierL.How does coaches’ reported interpersonal behaviour align with athletes’ perceptions? Consequences for female athletes’ psychological needs in sport. Sport Exerc Perform Psychol2018;
7: 141–154.
35.
FishbeinMAjzenI.Predicting and changing behaviour: the reasoned action approach.
New York, NY:
Psychology Press, 2010.
36.
ChatzisarantisNLDHaggerMSWangCKJ, et al.
The effects of social identity and perceived autonomy support on health behaviour within the theory of planned behaviour: research and reviews. Curr Psychol2009;
28: 55–68.
37.
ChatzisarantisNLDHaggerMS.Effects of an intervention based on self-determination theory on self-reported leisure-time physical activity participation. Psychol Health2009;
24: 29–48.
38.
HayesAF.Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: a regression-based approach. 2nd ed.New York, NY:
Guilford Press, 2018.
39.
PreacherKJHayesAF.SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models. Behav Res Methods Instrum Comput2004;
36: 717–731.
40.
NorrisAEAroianKJ.To transform or not transform skewed data for psychometric analysis that is the question!Nurs Res2004;
53: 67–71.
WeissMRAmoroseAJ.Children’s self-perceptions in the physical domain: between- and within-age variability in level, accuracy, and sources of perceived competence. J Sport Exerc Psychol2005;
27: 226–244.
43.
Wiese-BjornstalDMLavoiNMOmliJ.Child and adolescent development and sport participation: sport psychology volume. In: BrewerB (ed) Sport psychology: sport psychology volume.
Hoboken, NJ:
Wiley-Blackwell, 2009, pp. 97–112.
44.
MalloyTEYarlasAMontviloRK, et al.
Agreement and accuracy in children’s interpersonal perceptions: a social relations analysis. J Pers Soc Psychol1996;
71: 692–702.
45.
LafrenièreMKJowettSVallerandRJ, et al.
Passion for coaching and the quality of the coach–athlete relationship: the mediating role of coaching behaviours. Psychol Sport Exerc2011;
12: 144–152.
46.
BlackSJWeissMR.The relationship among perceived coaching behaviours, perceptions of ability and motivation in competitive age-group swimmers. J Sport Exerc Psychol1992;
14: 309–325.
47.
Ullrich-FrenchSSmithAL.Social and motivational predictors of continued youth sport participation. Psychol Sport Exerc2009;
10: 87–95.
48.
BalishSMMcLarenCRainhamD, et al.
Correlates of youth sport attrition: a review and future directions. Psychol Sport Exerc2014;
15: 429–439.
