Parental Support, Sibling Influences and Family Dynamics across the Development of Canadian Interuniversity Student-Athletes

A vast body of research focuses on the role of parents in athlete development; however, little is known about developmental influences of siblings. In general, family dynamics (i.e., patterns of relating or interacting among family members) have yet to be investigated in youth sport contexts. This s...

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Main Authors: Georgia I. Lundy, Veronica Allan, Ian Cowburn, Jean Cote
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Bowling Green State University 2019-08-01
Series:Journal of Athlete Development and Experience
Online Access:https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/jade/vol1/iss2/4/
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author Georgia I. Lundy
Veronica Allan
Ian Cowburn
Jean Cote
author_facet Georgia I. Lundy
Veronica Allan
Ian Cowburn
Jean Cote
author_sort Georgia I. Lundy
collection DOAJ
description A vast body of research focuses on the role of parents in athlete development; however, little is known about developmental influences of siblings. In general, family dynamics (i.e., patterns of relating or interacting among family members) have yet to be investigated in youth sport contexts. This study examines how family dynamics and the individual roles of parents and siblings influence the development of Canadian interuniversity student-athletes over time. Participants included four male and six female student-athletes. Each participant took part in a qualitative retrospective timeline interview. All data was subjected to a thematic analysis. Results indicate that siblings and parents play separate yet intricately connected roles in athlete development throughout childhood and adolescence. Overall, participants described a cohesive family unit built on shared values and joint participation in sport activities. They described stable and dynamic forms of support from their parents over time, and positive and negative sibling influences. These findings offer valuable insight into the dynamic nature of parent and sibling relationships with athletes in youth sport and beyond, as well as how these relationships operate in the broader family environment to optimize (and, at times, hinder) athletic development.
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spelling doaj.art-49358505980241a6ab1d7417b17d9aeb2022-12-22T01:28:16ZengBowling Green State UniversityJournal of Athlete Development and Experience2642-92762019-08-011210.25035/jade.01.02.04Parental Support, Sibling Influences and Family Dynamics across the Development of Canadian Interuniversity Student-AthletesGeorgia I. Lundy0Veronica Allan1Ian Cowburn2Jean Cote3Queen's UniversityYork UniversityLeeds Beckett UniversityQueen's UniversityA vast body of research focuses on the role of parents in athlete development; however, little is known about developmental influences of siblings. In general, family dynamics (i.e., patterns of relating or interacting among family members) have yet to be investigated in youth sport contexts. This study examines how family dynamics and the individual roles of parents and siblings influence the development of Canadian interuniversity student-athletes over time. Participants included four male and six female student-athletes. Each participant took part in a qualitative retrospective timeline interview. All data was subjected to a thematic analysis. Results indicate that siblings and parents play separate yet intricately connected roles in athlete development throughout childhood and adolescence. Overall, participants described a cohesive family unit built on shared values and joint participation in sport activities. They described stable and dynamic forms of support from their parents over time, and positive and negative sibling influences. These findings offer valuable insight into the dynamic nature of parent and sibling relationships with athletes in youth sport and beyond, as well as how these relationships operate in the broader family environment to optimize (and, at times, hinder) athletic development.https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/jade/vol1/iss2/4/
spellingShingle Georgia I. Lundy
Veronica Allan
Ian Cowburn
Jean Cote
Parental Support, Sibling Influences and Family Dynamics across the Development of Canadian Interuniversity Student-Athletes
Journal of Athlete Development and Experience
title Parental Support, Sibling Influences and Family Dynamics across the Development of Canadian Interuniversity Student-Athletes
title_full Parental Support, Sibling Influences and Family Dynamics across the Development of Canadian Interuniversity Student-Athletes
title_fullStr Parental Support, Sibling Influences and Family Dynamics across the Development of Canadian Interuniversity Student-Athletes
title_full_unstemmed Parental Support, Sibling Influences and Family Dynamics across the Development of Canadian Interuniversity Student-Athletes
title_short Parental Support, Sibling Influences and Family Dynamics across the Development of Canadian Interuniversity Student-Athletes
title_sort parental support sibling influences and family dynamics across the development of canadian interuniversity student athletes
url https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/jade/vol1/iss2/4/
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AT iancowburn parentalsupportsiblinginfluencesandfamilydynamicsacrossthedevelopmentofcanadianinteruniversitystudentathletes
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