The athlete's perception of parents behaviors in sport context: A study in youth handball players of the Madeira Handball Association

The participation of parents in their children's sports is very important. However, many parents end up having negative and deviant behaviours in sports and social context, generating this participation some controversy and misunderstandings. With this study, we intend to assess the perception of the athletes about the behaviour of the parents in the sport context, considering the demographic characteristics of the athletes (gender and age). The sample is composed by young handball players from the Madeira Handball Association, aged 9-16 years of both sexes (n=284, male n=122, female n=162) registered by ten clubs and with a minimum of one year of organized sports practice. For the collection of data, a questionnaire previously constructed and duly validated was used. The results confirm the perception of the role of parents in supporting their children 's sports practices, as well as motivating them for the sport. There is also a perception of the young players of a pressure exerted by the parents in obtaining immediate results and little appreciation of the progress of learning.