The Family as a Community Setting for Children’s and Adolescents’ Sustained Participation in Organized Sport and Well-Being: A Narrative Review of International Evidence with Perspectives from Selected Southeast European Contexts

Abstract

Background: Organized sport provides opportunities for children’s and adolescents’ psychological and social well-being, while family practices may facilitate participation and shape its meaning. Methods: This narrative review cites 40 sources, including empirical research, reviews, theoretical and contextual material, and integrates international literature on family support and organized youth sport with supplementary physical activity research and contextual evidence from selected Southeast European settings. Results: Emotional, informational, instrumental and autonomy support provide an organizing framework for interpreting parental involvement. Their interaction within a family climate is proposed as a conceptual synthesis rather than an empirically validated configuration. Practical resources and family–club relationships may facilitate access and continued participation. Regional evidence is limited and unevenly distributed, and contextual sources do not directly establish family–sport mechanisms. Conclusions: A relational, setting-based perspective may inform family-oriented sport promotion. Findings require interpretation according to study design, outcome and context; causal pathways and regional transferability remain questions for future research.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2026 · DOI ↗