Introduction:

The main objective of this work is to know the interrelation between the perception of empowering and disempowering climates generated by coaches (team level) with basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration, and these in turn, with the intentions to continue and abandon sports practice (individual level) in young athletes.

Method:

251 Mexican athletes participated (M = 13. 22, SD = 1.28) belonging to 19 teams. A battery of questionnaires was applied for data collection and a multilevel structured equation analysis was performed.

Results:

The structural equation model revealed positive associations between perceptions of empowering climates from a group perspective on the satisfaction of basic psychological needs and of these on intentions to continue practicing sports from an individual perspective; as well as between perceptions of a disempowering climate on the frustration of basic psychological needs and of these on intentions to drop out.

Conclusion:

The findings of this study suggest at an applied level that the empowering climate acts as a catalyst of psychological well-being and as a protector against the occurrence of frustration, while the disempowering climate facilitates the development of maladaptive psychological responses in sport.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )