title: Examining the influence of the parent-initiated and coach-created motivational climates upon athletes' perfectionistic cognitions.
abstract: The aims of this study are threefold. First, we investigate the influence of the parent-initiated motivational climate upon elite junior athletes' perfectionistic cognitions. Second, we examine whether the coach-created motivational climate predicts additional variance in elite junior athletes' perfectionistic cognitions beyond the effects associated with the parent-initiated motivational climate. Third, we test the moderating role of athletes' gender and age in the relationship between the parent-initiated and coach-created motivational climates and athletes' perfectionistic cognitions. A total of 190 elite junior athletes (mean age 15.2 years, s = 1.5, range 10-18) completed the Parent-Initiated Motivational Climate Questionnaire-2 (White & Duda, 1993), the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire-2 (Newton, Duda, & Yin, 2000), and the Perfectionistic Cognitions Inventory (Flett, Hewitt, Blankstein, & Gray, 1998). Regression analyses revealed that mother- and father-initiated worry-conducive climates, the father-initiated success-without-effort climate, and the coach-created performance motivational climate predicted male athletes' perfectionistic cognitions. Female athletes' perfectionistic cognitions were predicted by the mother-initiated worry-conducive climate, father-initiated learning-enjoyment climate, and both dimensions of the coach-created climate. Finally, athletes' gender emerged as a significant moderator of the mother-initiated worry-conducive climate and athletes' perfectionistic cognitions relationship. Findings confirm that the parent-initiated motivational climate is a significant predictor of athletes' perfectionism-related thoughts, and provide initial support for the influence of the coach-created motivation climate over children's perfectionistic cognitions.
authors.affiliation: School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK. p.appleton@bham.ac.uk
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Appleton
authors.forename: Howard K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Andrew P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D056352:Athletes / Q000523:psychology*; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors