Emerging Adults’ Response to Parental Advice About Physical Activity, Exercise, and Sports

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session III
  In Paper Session: Sport Communication Interactive Paper Session

Abstract

Two hundred emerging adulthood children (i.e., age 18 – 29) were surveyed on advice they have received from a parent about physical activity, exercise, or sports. The current study sought to advance both theory and application, by examining advice response theory (ART) to refine understanding of how parental advice might encourage or discourage children from engaging in healthy habits. While some ART propositions were supported, others were not. Children responded more favorably to advice when it was higher in politeness, and emotionally coped better when advice was more efficacious. Parent characteristics were both directly and indirectly influential on advice outcomes; specifically, the child’s rating of parent-child relational satisfaction colored all advice ratings (i.e., child with more satisfactory relationships reported the advice was higher in quality). Furthermore, children evaluations of parental persuasion success (i.e., change, novelty, confirmation) drove advice outcomes both in terms of emotional coping and problem solving.

Authors

• Lisa M Guntzviller, Utah State U

• Chelsea Bush, U of Utah

• Travis Dorsch, Utah State U

• Keith Osai, Utah State U