Association between Coaching Behavior Styles and Athlete Well-being: A Systematic Review

Authors

• Matthew Benavides, New York Institute of Technology - Old WestburyFollow
• Olivia Evola, New York Institute of TechnologyFollow
• Devjja V. Joshi, New York Institute of TechnologyFollow
• Arpita M. Bedarkar, New York Institute of TechnologyFollow
• Amerigo Rossi, New York Institute of TechnologyFollow

Abstract

Coaching behavior plays a critical role in shaping athlete outcomes, including motivation, performance, satisfaction, and burnout. PURPOSE: Evaluates how different coaching styles are associated with athlete well-being and the psychological mechanisms involved. METHODS: A detailed search of ProQuest, Gale and EBSCO databases was done. Five peer-reviewed studies that met the inclusion criteria of college student athletes competing in NCAA or NAIA in the US or Canada and studies involving the coaching styles of either autocratic, democratic, transformational, congruent leadership or intrinsic motivation were systematically reviewed. 1,900 athletes were evaluated in the included studies of relationships between coaching behaviors and student athletes. Questionnaires were used to determine those outcomes. RESULTS: Leaderships were assessed to see the following outcomes: motivation, perfectionism, satisfaction and burnout toward their sport. Controlling coaching behaviors were associated with increased burnout (r =.63-.85).  This was due to prescribed perfectionism and amotivation. Autonomy-supportive and transformational coaching were linked to increased intrinsic motivation (r =.27-.41) of the player, which improved performance and reduced burnout risk. Leadership congruency was associated with increased athlete satisfaction, while individual psychological characteristics directed toward preferred coaching styles.  Democratic behavior, social support and positive feedback all had high scores related to the Revised Leadership Scale for Sports using a 1-5 Likert Scale,1 being never and 5 being always (4.4-5.21). CONCLUSION: Coaching style is associated with athlete well-being through its impact on motivation.  A supportive, democratic style leadership should be prioritized to increase motivation, satisfaction and reduce burnout. Focusing on coaching strategies that best suit student athletes’ preferences and mental needs are essential for optimizing outcomes which could benefit both the athlete and coach.  Due to the limited number of studies, further research is necessary.

Recommended Citation

Benavides, Matthew; Evola, Olivia; Joshi, Devjja V.; Bedarkar, Arpita M.; and Rossi, Amerigo (2026) "Association between Coaching Behavior Styles and Athlete Well-being: A Systematic Review," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 15: Iss. 8, Article 6.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol15/iss8/6