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Perceptions of parenting dimensions : its relations to motivation, life aspirations, and subjective well-being among adolescent athletes
Author
Chew, Eugene Wai Cheong
Supervisor
Wang, John Chee Keng
Abstract
Adolescents' relationships with their parents constitute important social and emotional resources for further development. Studies conducted mainly in the academic and socialisation settings have shown that authoritative parenting style is associated with positive adolescent outcomes. However, in the sports domain, there is a dearth of studies examining the influence of parenting dimensions, as disaggregated components of parenting style, on the optimal development of student athletes. Self-determination theory (SDT) provides the theoretical framework for investigating, as well as explaining, the psychological processes underlying the influence of parenting dimensions on student athletes' motivational outcomes and well-being.
The present study, comprising four studies, examined the relationships between student athletes' perceptions of the six core parenting dimensions and motivational outcomes and well-being. In Study 1, confirmatory factor analyses validated the factorial validity of the Parents As Social Context (PASC) scale, and established that parental autonomy support, structure, warmth, coercion, chaos, and rejection are unipolar and distinct constructs. Using different methodological approaches, results of the subsequent three studies, together, showed that positive parenting dimensions (autonomy support, structure and warmth) were positively related to greater psychological needs satisfaction, more autonomous sport motivation, intrinsic aspirations, and greater subjective well-being.
Specifically, key results from the person-centred approach to data analysis in Study 2 showed that two subgroups (LPA Group 1 and 2) of student athletes with distinctive profiles of perceived parenting dimensions were linked with significantly different levels of psychological needs satisfaction, sport motivation, and intrinsic aspirations. The student athletes from the High Positive/Low Negative Parental Influence group (LPA Group 2) had significantly higher levels of psychological needs satisfaction, sport motivation, and intrinsic aspirations than those student athletes from the Low Positive/High Negative Parental Influence group (LPA Group 1). Two other subgroups of student athletes were discovered. LPA Group 3 exemplifies the case where student athletes perceived a parenting environment that is neither supportive of (low positive parenting dimensions) nor non-conducive to (moderately low negative parenting dimensions) psychological needs satisfaction which appears to reflect student athletes' perceptions of unengaged parents as classified by Baumrind (1991a). LPA Group 4 comprised student athletes who perceived their parents as having a mixed parenting style which is both supportive (moderately high positive parenting dimensions) and debilitating (high negative parenting dimensions) in relation to psychological needs satisfaction. Closer scrutiny of the characteristics of these two subgroups suggests that positive parenting dimensions are important predictors of psychological needs satisfaction.
In Study 3, descriptive characteristics of the parent-child relationships and how parents motivated their child, derived from semi-structured interviews of student athletes and their parents from each of the four emerged subgroups, corroborated and provided insights into, the main findings in Study 2.
In Study 4, consistent with SDT, mediation analysis of the hypothesised model with latent variables showed that positive parenting dimensions (autonomy support, structure, warmth) had significant positive indirect effects on subjective well-being through psychological needs satisfaction per se, and through multi-step mediation via psychological needs satisfaction and intrinsic aspirations. The negative indirect effects of coercion and rejection on subjective well-being were only partially mediated by these two aforementioned mediators.
In conclusion, the present study showed that the positive parenting dimensions are important in enhancing student athletes' psychological health, motivation, intrinsic aspirations, and well-being, and that both psychological needs satisfaction and intrinsic aspirations were significant mediators of the effects of parenting dimensions on subjective well-being whereas extrinsic aspirations were not a significant mediator between the effects of parenting dimensions on subjective well-being.
The present study, comprising four studies, examined the relationships between student athletes' perceptions of the six core parenting dimensions and motivational outcomes and well-being. In Study 1, confirmatory factor analyses validated the factorial validity of the Parents As Social Context (PASC) scale, and established that parental autonomy support, structure, warmth, coercion, chaos, and rejection are unipolar and distinct constructs. Using different methodological approaches, results of the subsequent three studies, together, showed that positive parenting dimensions (autonomy support, structure and warmth) were positively related to greater psychological needs satisfaction, more autonomous sport motivation, intrinsic aspirations, and greater subjective well-being.
Specifically, key results from the person-centred approach to data analysis in Study 2 showed that two subgroups (LPA Group 1 and 2) of student athletes with distinctive profiles of perceived parenting dimensions were linked with significantly different levels of psychological needs satisfaction, sport motivation, and intrinsic aspirations. The student athletes from the High Positive/Low Negative Parental Influence group (LPA Group 2) had significantly higher levels of psychological needs satisfaction, sport motivation, and intrinsic aspirations than those student athletes from the Low Positive/High Negative Parental Influence group (LPA Group 1). Two other subgroups of student athletes were discovered. LPA Group 3 exemplifies the case where student athletes perceived a parenting environment that is neither supportive of (low positive parenting dimensions) nor non-conducive to (moderately low negative parenting dimensions) psychological needs satisfaction which appears to reflect student athletes' perceptions of unengaged parents as classified by Baumrind (1991a). LPA Group 4 comprised student athletes who perceived their parents as having a mixed parenting style which is both supportive (moderately high positive parenting dimensions) and debilitating (high negative parenting dimensions) in relation to psychological needs satisfaction. Closer scrutiny of the characteristics of these two subgroups suggests that positive parenting dimensions are important predictors of psychological needs satisfaction.
In Study 3, descriptive characteristics of the parent-child relationships and how parents motivated their child, derived from semi-structured interviews of student athletes and their parents from each of the four emerged subgroups, corroborated and provided insights into, the main findings in Study 2.
In Study 4, consistent with SDT, mediation analysis of the hypothesised model with latent variables showed that positive parenting dimensions (autonomy support, structure, warmth) had significant positive indirect effects on subjective well-being through psychological needs satisfaction per se, and through multi-step mediation via psychological needs satisfaction and intrinsic aspirations. The negative indirect effects of coercion and rejection on subjective well-being were only partially mediated by these two aforementioned mediators.
In conclusion, the present study showed that the positive parenting dimensions are important in enhancing student athletes' psychological health, motivation, intrinsic aspirations, and well-being, and that both psychological needs satisfaction and intrinsic aspirations were significant mediators of the effects of parenting dimensions on subjective well-being whereas extrinsic aspirations were not a significant mediator between the effects of parenting dimensions on subjective well-being.
Date Issued
2011
Call Number
GV663.S56 Che
Date Submitted
2011