While there are studies that suggest sport to be a fertile ground for the development of social capital, the youth sport context has been largely overlooked. Being involved in their children’s sports participation may provide parents opportunities to establish connections and develop social capital. Furthermore, sport may also provide bonding opportunities for parents and their offspring, potentially enhancing the parent-child relationship.The purpose of the current study was to explore the relationship between parental involvement in youth sport, social capital, parent-child relationship, and subjective well-being. This study employed an explanatory sequential design. Participants responded to a demographic survey followed by psychometric instruments assessing the aforementioned variables. To further assess the relationship between variables, a subsample was recruited for interviews. Participants had been considerably involved in youth sport and, though this influenced the parent-child relationship, it did not have the same effect for parent’s social capital. The results of this study are consistent with the literature on sport parenting suggesting that parental involvement may enhance the parent-child relationship. The same cannot be stated for its potential to enhance one’s social capital, as there are person-context features that are likely to moderate this process, such as the overall climate, community characteristics, membership to social groups, and individual dispositions. In conclusion, while youth sport may have potential to enhance parent’s social capital, this will only occur within certain conditions.
Read
