“I even called him coach at home”: A qualitative study on role conflict and coping in parent-coached elite athletes

This study explores the dual role of parent-coaches and its impact on elite athletes’ professional and emotional experiences, with a particular focus on role conflict. Drawing on a qualitative phenomenological approach, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 elite athletes (Mage = 26.8, SD = 5.28) competing in Taekwondo, Judo, and Karate—all of whom were coached by a parent. Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling strategies. Thematic analysis identified role conflict as a central and multifaceted theme, comprising four subdimensions: (1) Dual Role Conflicts, (2) Athletes’ Coping Strategies, (3) Parent-Coaches’ Role Conflicts, and (4) Parent-Coaches’ Coping Strategies. The findings illustrate that the parent-coach relationship is often described as a complex and paradoxical dynamic, creating tension between emotional intimacy and professional expectations. Across participants’ accounts, success as a filial duty emerged as the central organizing concept, shaping how athletes interpreted their struggles and coping mechanisms. Athletes reported struggles with blurred boundaries, feelings of entrapment, and a perceived obligation to achieve as a form of filial duty. According to athletes, parent-coaches experienced internal conflicts and fairness-related concerns, often managing these tensions through compensatory behaviours. Despite these tensions, both athletes and parent-coaches developed various strategies to manage conflicting roles. This study contributes to a nuanced understanding of the psychological and relational complexities of dual-role dynamics in elite individual sports.