Who benefits from parental intervention programs in youth sport? A systematic review

Despite growing recognition that parental behavior shapes athlete outcomes, evidence on whether structured intervention programmes effectively change parental conduct, and whether those changes reach athletes, remains scattered. This systematic review examined the effectiveness of parental intervention programmes in youth sport, positioning athlete outcomes as primary endpoints alongside parental behavior and mental health outcomes. Search was conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCO up to May 2025. Quantitative and qualitative designs were included, as the systematic search identified 2188 records, of which 14 studies met eligibility criteria, regarding parents or caregivers of youth athletes involved in sport-based intervention programmes (PROSPERO: CRD420250651529). Methodological quality was appraised using JBI Critical Appraisal Tools. Quantitative and mixed-methods findings were synthesized using a Level of Evidence framework, and qualitative findings were synthesized through Thematic Synthesis. Findings were considered “Inconclusive” for both parental behavior and mental health (59% consistency) and athlete well-being and stress (70% consistency). Thematic synthesis identified three analytical themes: Developing Sport Parenting Competence: Knowledge, Self-Awareness, and Confidence; Relational and Behavioral Change in the Parent-Athlete Dyad; Athlete Growth: Social Skills, Psychological Well-Being, and Coping Development, which gather outcomes such as gains in knowledge and awareness, relational and behavioral change in the relationship, and developmental and well-being gains in athletes. Parental intervention programs show promise in producing relational change in parents, with emerging evidence that these changes reach athletes through a relational pathway. Rigorous controlled trials and dyadic designs are needed to establish causal mechanisms and inform evidence-based programme development.
This study was conducted at two different research centers: (a) Psychology Research Centre (CIPsi; PSI/01662), School of Psychology, University of Minho, and was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT; UID/01662/2025) through the Portuguese State Budget. The CIPsi is registered under the DOI: https://doi.org/10.54499/UID/01662/2025; and (b) Research Centre for Human Development (supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology, ref. UID/04872/2025).