The relationship between coaching leadership behaviors and athletes’ psychological fatigue: the mediating role of psychological resilience

Objective This study aims to explore the relationship between coaches’ behaviors and athletes’ psychological fatigue, and to examine the mediating role of psychological resilience in this relationship. Methods Using convenience sampling, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 332 Chinese basketball players from Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Liaoning provinces (63.3% male, 36.7% female; with 61.1% aged 18–21). The assessment tools included the Coach Leadership Behavior Scale, the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire, and the Sport Psychological Fatigue Scale. Results Correlation analysis indicated significant correlations among the study variables. Regression analysis further revealed that authoritarian leadership behavior positively predicted psychological fatigue ( β = 0.30, p < 0.001), while coaching ( β = −0.21, p < 0.001), democratic behavior ( β = −0.14, p < 0.05), social support ( β = −0.19, p < 0.01), and positive feedback ( β = −0.16, p < 0.01) negatively predict psychological fatigue. Mediational analysis indicated that psychological resilience partially mediated the relationship between the five dimensions of coaching leadership behavior and psychological fatigue, with indirect effects accounting for 38.18 to 88.05% of the total effect. Conclusion This study reveals significant correlations among coaching leadership behaviors, athletic psychological resilience, and athletes’ psychological fatigue, as well as among these dimensions themselves. Coaching leadership behaviors directly influence athletes’ psychological fatigue and indirectly affect it through the mediating role of psychological resilience.