Dyadic Anxiety in Youth Sport: The Relationship of Achievement Goals With Anxiety in Young Athletes and Their Parents

The role of achievement motivation on precompetitive anxiety was examined in 73 dyads comprising youth athletes and a parent of each athlete. Participants completed questionnaires assessing achievement goals and anxiety. Actor–partner interdependence models were estimated using Mplus 7.11. Parents’ adoption of performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals predicted athletes’ worry (βperformance-approach =.30, p <.01; βperformance-avoidance =.25, p <.05). Athletes’ adoption of any goal predicted parents’ concentration disruption (βmastery-approach =.41; βmastery-avoidance =.30, p <.01; βperformance-approach =.27; βperformance-avoidance =.22, p <.05). Thus, parental definitions of competence held for the child was related to their young athlete's emotional state and vice versa.