Parental influences on youth sport participation

Abstract

The majority of literature on parental influences in youth sport has typically been oriented toward social or psychological constructs of the young sport participants, e.g., stress or perceptions of competence, and the impact of various beliefs and behaviors of parents on the particular construct of interest (Brustad et al., 2001; Brustad and Partridge, 2002). In this review, the focus is instead on the nature of the various forms of influence exerted by mothers and fathers, and subsequently how these impact children’s sport experience, emotional responses, and beliefs systems. An important distinction with previous reviews is that sports participation is viewed as a means to an end rather than as an end in itself. In other words, the primary goal of youth sport programs should be to provide positive experiences and support so that the 76 77 child develops an intrinsic interest in sports and physical activity. The guidelines and recommendations presented emphasize how parents can help children develop positive perceptions and values from sport and develop lifelong interest in sport and physical activity participation. THEORIES OF PARENTAL INFLUENCE