The effectiveness of a coach-athlete relationship intervention for enhancing relationship quality and athletic thriving within Swedish teams sports

Louise Davis, Svenja Wachsmuth, Daniel J. Brown, Marius Sommer, Sophia Jowett

    Research output: Contribution to conferenceAbstractpeer-review

    Abstract

    Objectives: Regardless of whether the sport environment emphasizes performance or participation, the coach-athlete relationship has been found to be central to athlete development as well as a potential contextual enabler of athletic thriving (Brown et al., 2021). That said, research to date has predominantly been cross-sectional in nature and rarely have intervention programs been developed to increase the quality of the coach-athlete relationship and in turn athlete thriving. Adopting the 3Cs model (Jowett, 2007) and the COMPASS model (Rhind & Jowett, 2012), this study aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a coach-athlete relationship intervention program for enhancing the quality of the coach-athlete relationship and athlete thriving over time.

    Methods: We used a nonrandomized cluster-controlled trial design. Coaches (n = 45) and athletes (n = 328) from 15 sport teams were allocated into either an intervention group or no-treatment control. Following baseline questionnaire assessments, teams in the intervention group received two workshops, four weeks apart, and encouraged to implement taught strategies during practice and to complete bi-weekly diary logs. Follow-up assessments were completed at four and eight weeks after baseline.

    Results: The effects of the relationship intervention on relationship quality and athlete thriving were assessed using two-level growth models, with athletes nested within teams. Preliminary findings showed no significant change over time in both the intervention and control conditions. Diary data indicated that coaches utilized the covered strategies and attempted to foster positive relationships with their athletes; however, several barriers were suggested to have restricted the coaches’ efforts.

    Conclusion: Whilst the quantitative results suggest the intervention was not effective in enhancing relationship quality and thriving in athletes over time, the qualitative data suggest increased awareness for and effort in facilitating positive coach-athlete interactions. Possible explanations for these findings and the challenges regarding implementing such interventions will be discussed.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages1143
    Number of pages1
    Publication statusPublished - 15 Jul 2024
    EventEuropean Congress of Sport and Exercise Psychology 2024 - Innsbruck, Austria
    Duration: 15 Jul 202419 Jul 2024

    Conference

    ConferenceEuropean Congress of Sport and Exercise Psychology 2024
    Country/TerritoryAustria
    CityInnsbruck
    Period15/07/2419/07/24

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