Understanding the Interpersonal Dynamics Between Parents and Coaches in Youth Tennis

Ella Tagliavini, Chris Harwood, Sophia Jowett, Sam Thrower

Abstract

Interpersonal relationships between athletes and their parents and coaches is an important factor in the success of youth sport programmes. Despite growing evidence in the parent-coach stress literature, there remains a lack of research which investigates parent-coach relationships. Therefore, a three-part research series was conducted to better understand how these relationship function within the parent-athlete-coach (PAC) triad in youth tennis.

Study one employed a collective case study design and utilised pre-interview tasks, semi-structured interviews and conversational threads to collect data from nine PAC triads in three developmental stages.

Study two surveyed 284 tennis parents to examine how the responsiveness and quality of parent-coach relationships mediated the association between four behavioural characteristics and parents’ basic psychological needs satisfaction (BPNS) in the PAC triad. Finally, a five-phase action research study with three PAC triads was conducted to investigate how parent-coach relationships can be improved. Collectively, the findings highlighted the importance of specific parent-coach relationship qualities and behaviours within the functioning of the triad and stakeholders’ experiences in youth tennis. Recommendations for practice are provided in relation to these findings.