Coaches’ benevolent leadership and athlete burnout: Mediating effect of psychological safety

Research has been conducted to explore the effect of factors relating to coaches’ leadership on Chinese athletes’ burnout, but less attention has been paid to coaches’ leadership style, such as benevolent leadership. In this study conducted with 282 athletes at three Chinese universities, we investigated how the benevolent leadership of the coach is related to athlete burnout and if athletes’ psychological safety mediates this relationship. We analyzed survey data using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that coaches’ benevolent leadership was negatively associated with athlete burnout, and this relationship was mediated by psychological safety. These findings enhance understanding of the mechanism between coaches’ benevolent leadership and athlete burnout, and shed light on the important role in this relationship of athletes’ perception of psychological safety.