Abstract
An athlete's family is known to play a significant role in their development and, arguably, their level of sport attainment (Knight, 2017). The current investigation sought to explore how family members' physical activity and sport involvement related to athletes' skill level. Data collected using the Developmental History of Athletes Questionnaire (DHAQ; Hopwood, 2013) on 229 athletes (M = 24.6 years, SD = 5.8) from 34 sports was examined. Athletes' skill level (Non-elite, pre-elite, or elite) were compared to familial characteristics and involvement in sport and physical activity using chi-square contingency tables or one-way ANOVA depending on variable type. Athlete skill level was associated with parent participation in each of the categories of physical activity examined (general fitness activities: p = .03, V = .18; recreational sport: p = .03, V = .18; competitive sport: p = .02, V = .18), and with sibling participation in all three categories combined (p = .04, V = .13). Athlete skill level was also associated with the highest level of competitive sport reached by parents (p < .01, ?b = .27) and siblings (p < .01, ?b = .22). Additionally, higher skilled athletes were more likely to be younger in birth order (adjusted standardized residual = 3.69). Moreover, the activity patterns of family members interacted to affect athlete development. This investigation extends the current understanding of how a family's physical activity and sport participation are related to athlete sport attainment, and reinforces the importance of family characteristics in the development of sport expertise.
