Abstract
Given the importance of peer interactions (e.g., Ullrich-French & Smith, 2009) and cohesion (e.g., Spink et al., 2010) in relation to sport participation, the current study examined the relationships among perceptions of the peer-initiated motivational climate, group cohesion, and intentions to return to the team and coach. Child (i.e., 9-13 years old) and adolescent (i.e., 14-17 years old) athletes (N = 359, Mage = 12.19 ± 2.38 years) representing 38 competitive male and female soccer teams completed age-appropriate measures of study variables prior to a weekly practice. Bivariate correlations revealed positive relationships between perceptions of task and social cohesion, a task-related climate, and intentions to return to the team and coach, .15 ≤ r ≤ .72, all p < .05. Subsequent mediation analyses revealed that perceptions of task cohesion significantly mediated the relationship between the task-related climate and intentions to return to both the team and coach using data from the adolescent sample only. Given the non-significant result of the initial mediation model using data from the child sample, an alternative model was explored and revealed that perceptions of a task-related climate mediated the relationship between task and social cohesion and intentions to return to the team and coach. As it pertains to the future participation of young athletes, the current study highlights the salience of the overall group environment (i.e., peer-initiated motivational climate and group cohesion), and provides context-related implications for future research (e.g., child vs. adolescent team interventions) aimed at optimizing adherence-related behaviours.
