Identifying profiles of parental (de)motivating behaviors in youth sports through cluster analysis: A Multi-informant Approach

Based on the perceptions of 331 youth athletes (M_age=14.33) and their most involved parent (M_age = 45.96), this study examined whether different profiles of parental behavior (i.e.,autonomy, competence, and relatedness supportive and thwarting) can be identified, to what extent these profiles match between the perceptions of athletes and parents, and how these profiles relate to youth athletes’ need-based experiences, (a)motivation, (dis)engagement, and anxiety regarding their sports participation. Cluster analysis identified four parental profiles based on both athlete and parent perceptions: parents who are relatively (1) need-supportive, (2) need-thwarting, (3) predominantly controlling, and (4) distant. In general, parents rated themselves as more motivating and less demotivating compared to the athlete’s perception. Moreover, parents' self-assessment had little to no predictive power in terms of the athlete’s sports experience. However, athletes who perceived their parents as need-supportive displayed the most adaptive outcomes, whereas the opposite was true for the need-thwarting profile. The two other profiles were situated in between, with athletes in the predominantly controlling profile scoring high on both the adaptive and maladaptive outcomes, and athletes in the distant profile scoring low on the maladaptive outcomes but not necessarily high on the adaptive outcomes.