Perception of coaching behaviors, coping, and goal attainment in a sport competition

Abstract

The importance of good coach-athlete relationship to promote optimal performance and well-being among athletes has often been highlighted by sport scientists. This short-term prospective study examined the mediating role of coping during a sport competition in the relationship between perceived coaching (i.e., supportive and unsupportive behaviors) and goal attainment. A total of 80 athletes involved in various individual sports participated in this study. At Time 1 (i.e., a few days before a competition), participants were invited to evaluate the behaviors of their coaches. At Time 2 (i.e., within three hours after a competition), they were asked to complete measures of coping and goal attainment. Results from multiple regression demonstrated that supportive coaching behaviors was positively associated to both task-oriented coping and goal attainment. Similarly, unsupportive coaching behaviors was associated to disengagement-oriented coping. Furthermore, both task- and disengagement-oriented coping were associated with goal attainment. As expected, the relationship between supportive coaching behaviors and goal attainment was significantly mediated by task-oriented coping. However, disengagement-oriented coping was not a significant mediator in the relationship between unsupportive coaching behaviors and goal attainment. This study lent credence for the importance of athletes' social environment on their coping processes during a competition.