Background The underrepresentation of family systems in sports development models persists despite evidence linking parenting styles (PS) to athletic outcomes. This study addresses critical gaps by examining the sequential mediation of basic psychological needs satisfaction (BPNS) and psychological resilience (PR) between PS and athletic performance (AP) in adolescents, grounded in Self-Determination Theory. Methods A three-wave longitudinal design surveyed 587 competitive adolescent athletes (M ~ age~ = 14.2 ± 1.8 years; 45% municipal, 35% provincial, 20% national teams) and their primary caregivers across six Chinese provinces. Validated instruments assessed PS (PSQ-R), BPNS (SABPNS), PR (ARI-25), and multi-source AP indices (CTII). Structural equation modeling tested serial mediation pathways using Mplus 8.7 with 5,000 bootstrap samples. Results Authoritative PS enhanced AP through sequential improvements in BPNS ( β = 0.58*) and PR (β = 0.49*), accounting for 45.2% of the total indirect effect ( β = 0.44). Authoritarian PS triggered a detrimental chain: BPNS frustration ( β = −0.42*) impaired PR ( β = −0.37*), reducing AP by 0.16 SD. Permissive PS directly undermined AP ( β = −0.18*). Developmental moderation emerged: athletes aged 15–18 showed 44.8% higher resilience transformation efficiency ( β = 0.42 vs. 0.29) and stronger serial effects (0.51 vs. 0.33, z = 4.25*) than the 12–14 cohort. Conclusion (1) Family dynamics influence adolescent athletes’ development through neuroplasticity-related psychological pathways. Authoritative parenting benefits sustainable performance by satisfying basic needs and enhancing resilience, more strongly in late adolescence.(2) Authoritarian parenting harms long-term participation via unmet needs, reduced resilience and biological costs; permissive parenting directly impairs performance due to poor goal structuring.(3) Findings call for developmentally and culturally appropriate parenting interventions, promoting a biopsychosocial framework centered on family systems in sport psychology.
Chen et al. (Thu,) studied this question.