The influence of athletic identity, coach-athlete relationship quality, and peer climate on emotional resilience in injury-prone sports
Article excerpt
IntroductionAthletes competing in injury-prone sports are routinely exposed to physical risk and psychological strain, making psychological adaptation a critical yet underexplored issue in sport psychology. Drawing on identity-based perspectives, conservation of resources theory, and self-determination theory, this study examined whether…
IntroductionAthletes competing in injury-prone sports are routinely exposed to physical risk and psychological strain, making psychological adaptation a critical yet underexplored issue in sport psychology. Drawing on identity-based perspectives, conservation of resources theory, and self-determination theory, this study examined whether athletic identity influences psychological adaptation through emotional resilience and whether coach, athlete relationship quality and peer climate strengthen this process.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 482 athletes participating in injury-prone sports in China. Data were collected using validated self-report questionnaires and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Mediation and moderated mediation analyses were performed to examine the relationships among athletic identity, emotional resilience, psychological adaptation, coach, athlete relationship quality, and peer climate.ResultsAthletic identity was positively associated with emotional resilience, which in turn significantly predicted psychological adaptation, supporting a partial mediation effect. Coach, athlete relationship quality and peer climate both positively moderated the relationship between athletic identity and emotional resilience. Conditional indirect effect analyses further demonstrated that the mediating role of emotional resilience was significantly stronger under conditions of high-quality coach, athlete relationships and supportive peer climates.DiscussionThe findings suggest that athletic identity contributes to psychological adaptation by enhancing emotional resilience, and that this process is strengthened by supportive interpersonal environments. These results underscore the importance of considering both individual identity resources and social-contextual factors when promoting athletes’ psychological adaptation in injury-prone sports.