A Preliminary Investigation of the Relationship between Athletes' Self-Talk and Coaches' Behaviour and Statements

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between coaches' behaviour and statements, and athletes' self-talk. Two hundred and forty three athletes (106 females and 137 males) representing a variety of sports participated in the study. Participants completed the Athletes' Positive and Negative Self-Talk Scale, which assesses frequency of positive and negative self-talk; the Coaches' Positive and Negative Statements Scale, which assesses frequency of coaches' positive and negative statements; and the Coaching Behaviour Questionnaire, which assesses two dimensions of coaches' behaviour, supportiveness and negative activation. Structural equation modeling with latent factors was used to test the hypothesized relationships. The results showed that coaches' positive statements were found to mediate the relationship between coaches' supportiveness and athletes' positive self-talk. Similarly, negative statements made by the coach were found to mediate the relationship between coaches' negative activation and athletes' negative self-talk Overall, these preliminary findings suggest the importance of both coaching behaviour and statements in relation to their athletes' self-talk.