Lessons from the Field. Development of a group intervention to promote need‐supportive sport parenting

• Published date: 01 July 2023
• Author: Savannah Schemenauer,Tsz Lun (Alan) Chu
• Date: 01 July 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12742

BRIEF REPORT

Lessons from the Field. Development of a group

intervention to promote need-supportive

sport parenting

Savannah Schemenauer|Tsz Lun (Alan) Chu

Department of Psychology, University of

Wisconsin–Green Bay, Green Bay, WI

Correspondence Savannah Schemenauer,

Department of Educational Psychology,

P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0413,

USA.

Email: schemen9@uwm.edu

Abstract

Objective: This Lesson from the Field describes the devel-

opment of a need-supportive parenting intervention aimed

at enhancing motivation and preventing burnout in youth

athletes.

Background: Self-determination theory posits that basic

psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and

relatedness) are essential for optimal motivation and per-

formance in any context. However, research has shown

that parents, a critical social agent, may thwart rather than

support their children’s psychological needs in competitive

contexts such as sport. The development and implementa-

tion of need-supportive sport parenting interventions are

warranted.

Method: We reviewed and analyzed the components,

including the content, frequency, and duration, of need-

supportive sport coaching interventions and parenting

interventions in other domains (e.g., education). Based on

the analysis, we constructed our intervention with a work-

book to educate parents on (a) reducing athlete pressure,

(b) providing choices within limits, (c) focusing on individ-

ual improvement, and (d) enhancing parent–child commu-

nication. We used gymnastics examples to illustrate these

strategies.

Conclusion: This article provides parent educators with a

theoretically and empirically informed intervention to

work with sport parents. The proposed benefits of the pro-

gram may extend beyond athlete motivation and burnout

prevention to better parent–child relationships and psy-

chological need satisfaction of both the parent and the

child.

Received: 6 July 2021Revised: 23 January 2022Accepted: 16 April 2022

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12742

© 2022 National Council on Family Relations.

1326 Family Relations. 2023;72:1326–1334.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare