Autonomy support in sport and exercise settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Drawing from self-determination theory (SDT) and a database of 1,320 correlations across 131 independent samples (N = 38,844), we conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of coach autonomy support in sport and exercise settings. Results showed autonomy support was strongly positively associated with athlete well-being and negatively associated with distress. Consistent with SDT, meta-analyzed correlations were strongest for autonomous forms of athlete motivation (rho = .39) and weaker for controlled forms of motivation (introjected regulation rho = .16, external regulation rho = -.01), and negative with amotivation (rho = -.19). We found strong positive associations between autonomy support and athlete basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness and very strong associations between autonomy support and other climate or behavioral supports for athlete basic psychological needs: competence support; relatedness support; structure; involvement; and task-involving climates. Effects were not moderated by culture, with collectivist and individualist cultures generally yielding effects in the strong range (rho >= .35), providing support for the assumption within SDT of universal benefits of autonomy support. Effects were also not moderated across types of sport. We discuss implications of the review and suggest coach autonomy support is consistent with environments supporting autonomous motivation, basic psychological needs, and well-being.

Automated summary

This systematic review and meta-analysis examines the effects of coach autonomy support on athlete well-being. The results indicate a strong positive association between autonomy support and athlete well-being, as well as negative association with distress. The study also highlights the positive effects of autonomy support on athlete motivation and basic psychological needs, which are consistent across cultures and sport types.