Physical activity lapses and parental social control: ‘It’s not such a bad thing’

Abstract

While adolescents’ physical activity lapses and their parents’ reactions to lapses have been examined, little is known about the context and cues surrounding these lapses. Using qualitative methods, we explored the lapses and cues that parents used to respond to these lapses in seven parent–adolescent dyads. Each participant participated in a semi-structured dyad interview followed by an individual interview. Two themes emerged in the description of the lapses: (a) lapses appeared to occur in the absence of structured activity, and (b) lapses were viewed as a period of respite. Two main cues triggered parents to respond to the lapses with social control. These cues included the type of activity (e.g. screen time) that occurred during the lapse and the parents’ perception of a lack of motivation by the child. These findings have implications for how we conceptualise lapses and may further our understanding of when parents use social control.

Keywords:

• adolescents
• physical activity
• relationships
• parent–child
• social influences

Acknowledgements

We thank the participants for sharing their experiences. This work was funded by a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship through the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), which was held at the University of Saskatchewan.

Additional information

Funding

Funding. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and or publication of this article: by a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship through the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).