Parent–athlete interpersonal relationship in sport: the importance of attachment

The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis was to examine parent–athlete interpersonal relationships in youth sport. The second aim was to gain an understanding about the importance of the athlete attachment to parents in youth sport. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method (IPA) (Smith, Larkin, Flowers, 2009) was selected. Eight youth sport parents participated in one in depth semi–structured interview (total of eight interviews). The data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three key themes were identified: Parent–athlete attachment; Secure athlete attachment to parents; Insecure athlete attachment to parents. The phenomenological interpretative analysis has revealed the importance of athlete attachment to parents in youth sport. Interviews with athlete parents revealed that involvement into children’s sport is more important in the early period of youth sporting experience and become less appreciable or unwelcome when children gain sporting experience. Parents–child attachment in early childhood has an affect in youth sport participation. Secure attachment ensures a positive and safe development in children’s sports: the child becomes confident, independent, goal– seeking, result oriented, able to regulate emotions in sport and easily integrates into a sporting environment. In contrast, insecure parent–child attachment leads to an athlete demotivation, disability to survive in a competitive environment which in turn can lead to a drop out of sport phenomenonVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij