The Mediating Role of Coach-Athlete Relationship in Linking Talent Development Environment to Swimmer Burnout: A Cross-Sectional Study

The Mediating Role of Coach-Athlete Relationship in Linking Talent Development Environment to Swimmer Burnout: A Cross-Sectional Study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The Mediating Role of Coach-Athlete Relationship in Linking Talent Development Environment to Swimmer Burnout: A Cross-Sectional Study Zejun Yan, Lei Wang, Yezhou Guo This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6966955/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 8 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Competitive athletes frequently experience significant training and competition pressures that may lead to athlete burnout. As crucial psychosocial support systems, the talent development environment and coach-athlete relationship potentially mitigate these psychological challenges. This study investigates how these factors interact through athletes' perceived psychological strain to influence burnout among swimmers. Methods During swimming competitions, online questionnaires were distributed to participants. A total of 320 questionnaires were collected. The questionnaire included athletes' basic information and general scales such as APSQ, ABQ, TDEQ, and CARTQ to assess athletes' psychological strain, burnout, talent development environment, and coach-athlete relationship. Using structural equation modeling, we examined both direct effects of psychological strain on burnout and the potential mediating pathways involving talent development environment and coach-athlete relationship. Result The analysis confirmed the direct impact of psychological strain on athlete burnout. The talent development environment did not have a direct effect on athlete burnout; however, it was found that the talent development environment, mediated by the coach-athlete relationship, negatively influenced athlete burnout, creating an indirect impact pathway. This reveals coach-athlete relationship's pivotal role as the primary mediator between environmental support and burnout reduction. Conclusion This study establishes that while perceived psychological strain directly exacerbates burnout, talent development environment operates indirectly by strengthening coach-athlete relationships. For Chinese swimmers, cultivating high-quality coach relationships proves essential for transforming environmental support into effective burnout prevention. These findings underscore the need for coach development programs focusing on relationship-building strategies and early strain recognition. Psychological Strain Talent Development Environment Coach-Athlete Relationship Athlete Burnout Swimming Athletes Figures Figure 1 1. Introduction Athletes face significant competition and training pressures, which can detrimentally impact their mental health [1]. The developmental environment is crucial for both the short-term and long-term performance, as well as the physical and mental well-being of athletes, as it provides essential support [2]. The relationship between coaches and athletes plays a vital role in the daily lives of athletes, particularly during training sessions [3]. Both the developmental environment and the coach-athlete relationship significantly influence the physical and mental health challenges faced by athletes. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and sports management organizations across various countries have increasingly prioritized the management of athletes' mental health to enhance athletic performance. In March 2019, the IOC published the "Mental Health in Elite Athletes: International Olympic Committee Consensus Statement" [4], which proposes standardized, evidence-based assessment methods for identifying mental health symptoms in elite athletes. That same year, the International Society of Sports Psychology released the "Consensus Statement on Improving the Mental Health of High-Performance Athletes" [5], which advocates for defining sports mental health within specific contexts and developing comprehensive psychological assessment strategies. This statement also highlights the significance of considering environmental factors affecting athletes' health as part of a holistic and sustainable approach to talent development. Additionally, several national and regional sports management organizations offer daily psychological counseling and coaching services for competitive athletes [6]. China's sports talent development system is notably distinctive, employing a three-tiered training network as its primary framework. This pyramid-shaped talent training system, overseen by the General Administration of Sport of China [7], encompasses elite sports schools (the third level), provincial representative teams (the second level), and national teams (the first level). The three-tiered sports talent development system is bolstered by administrative measures and financial support from the government, serving as a crucial organizational foundation for the success of China's competitive sports [8]. In addition to the uniqueness of this training system, Chinese social norms have also significantly influenced the coach-athlete relationship. For example, the ancient Chinese adage "Once a teacher, always a father" underscores the esteemed status of the coach, or "Shifu," equating it with that of a parent. Moreover, collectivism has profoundly shaped interpersonal relationships in China [9], including the dynamics of the coach-athlete relationship. The prevalence of authoritarian coaching behavior [10] places the coach-athlete relationship at the heart of an athlete's daily experience. 1.1. Athlete Psychological Strain The development of psychological symptoms in athletes is prominently characterized by psychological tension, which encompasses perceived stress and difficulties in coping. Psychological tension may manifest as chronic emotional exhaustion and reactions to stressful experiences [11], particularly when individuals perceive a lack of sufficient resources to cope [12]. When coping resources are inadequate relative to an athlete's demands, stress-related symptoms may emerge [13]. Stress theories delineate three factors that contribute to psychological strain: the failure to achieve positively valued goals, the removal of positive stimuli, and the introduction of negative stimuli. Each of these factors can elicit a cascade of negative emotions, such as anger, frustration, and despair. Individuals can only effectively manage these emotions through the utilization of appropriate coping mechanisms [14]. To achieve high-level performance, competitive athletes must manage the long-term pressures of training and competition, often manifesting symptoms such as abdominal pain, insufficient sleep, and headaches [15]. Common stressors for athletes include competitions, sports injuries, self-expectations, and various other dimensions [16]. Additionally, there are organizational stressors, competitive stressors, and environmental issues [17]. While moderate stress can enhance performance, excessive stress has detrimental effects, primarily reflected in "performance," "psychology," and "behavior" [18]. According to Jacqueline et al., psychological strain can adversely impact athletic performance by diminishing the level of natural physiological arousal [19]. Stress is also intricately linked to irrational beliefs and mental health; the greater the challenges athletes encounter, the more pronounced the stress. However, excessive stress may lead to decreased self-esteem and self-deprecation, adversely affecting athletes' mental health [20]. The sources of stress differ among athletes at various developmental stages and levels of competition, and the personal and environmental resources necessary to maintain balance also vary, resulting in distinct physiological and psychological responses [21]. Regardless of the stressors involved, early identification and management of stress-related issues or mental health symptoms are crucial for facilitating timely intervention at the onset of these issues [22,23]. Assessments in these domains may enhance early detection and intervention for affected athletes. Tools for measuring psychological strain in athletes include the Kessler-10 [24] and the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire [25]. 1.2. Athlete Burnout Athlete burnout is a distinct form of occupational burnout specifically experienced by athletes. As they engage in prolonged training and competitive activities, athletes face various burnout-related challenges. Athlete burnout is characterized as a syndrome that encompasses emotional and physical exhaustion, diminished sports performance, and a devaluation of sports, ultimately leading to withdrawal from athletic participation [26]. Some researchers define it as sports-related psychological fatigue [27]. Emotional and physical exhaustion arises from the perceived depletion of both physical and mental resources due to training or competition. Reduced achievement refers to a tendency to evaluate one's athletic abilities and accomplishments negatively, while sports devaluation indicates a cynical perspective towards participation in sports [28]. Burnout can be attributed to various causes, including psychological strain [29], which heightens emotional exhaustion and diminishes personal achievement [30]. The likelihood of experiencing burnout increases with greater stress levels. Research indicates a positive correlation between different types of stress and burnout [31]. Additionally, Personality traits, such as high levels of sport-specific stress [32] and perfectionism [1], contribute to this phenomenon. Burnout is typically characterized by three dimensions: physical and emotional fatigue, reduced achievement, and sports devaluation. Scholars exhibit some variation in their views regarding which dimension of burnout is most strongly associated with stress. For instance, A study [33] assert that reduced achievement is the dimension most closely related to stress, while others argue that physical and emotional fatigue has a stronger correlation [34]. Stress impacts burnout both directly and indirectly; athletes experiencing heightened stress often undergo negative emotions, leading to burnout [35]. Certain interventions, such as mindfulness therapy [36] and leisure activities [37], can alleviate burnout by mitigating psychological strain. 1. 3. Talent Developmental Environment The talent developmental environment is a crucial social factor influencing athletes' mental health [38]. Gerdin categorizes the athlete development environment into management and coaching, as well as the surrounding and developmental environments. He posits that the effectiveness of the development environment largely hinges on the management's efforts, the coaches' allocation of time and resources, and the communication and collaboration with other coaches, clubs, regions, academies, regional centers, and associations to secure additional support and resources [39]. Li further delineates the athlete development environment into five dimensions: long-term development focus, overall quality preparation, support network, communication, and consistency of expectations [40]. Research indicates a strong correlation between the development environment and athlete burnout, revealing that athletes with robust social support are less susceptible to burnout [41]. In a high-quality athlete development environment, athletes can appreciate the long-term development focus, better understand methods and goals [42], experience enhanced well-being [43], and report lower stress levels [44,45]. Additionally, their ability to cope with stress improves [46]. 1. 4. Coach-Athlete Relationship The coach-athlete relationship is defined as the "situation in which the emotional, intellectual, and behavioral interrelations between coaches and athletes are mutually causal" [47]. Jowett formulated the 3Cs model of coach-athlete relationships, which includes intimacy, commitment, and complementarity. Intimacy reflects the emotional significance that athletes attribute to their relationship with coaches, encompassing elements such as respect, trust, and affection. Commitment refers to the intention to maintain a long-term partnership in the key sports domain, while complementarity denotes the cooperative interactions between coaches and athletes during training [48]. Given that athletes spend considerable time with coaches during daily training and competitions, the coach-athlete relationship is crucial. Research indicates that this relationship significantly influences athletes' psychological strain and burnout symptoms. A positive coach-athlete relationship fosters autonomous behavior and complementarity among athletes, resulting in reduced stress symptoms, enhanced personal achievement, and diminished physical and psychological fatigue [49,50]. Higher levels of intimacy and complementarity within the coach-athlete relationship also positively affect the sustainability of stress and burnout [51]. Conversely, conflicts in the coach-athlete relationship exacerbate athletes' stress and burnout [52]. Therefore, we hypothesize that athletes experiencing high levels of stress can mitigate burnout through the cultivation of strong coach-athlete relationships. 1. 5. Conclusion The talent development environment and the coach-athlete relationship significantly impact athletes' mental health. Li's symbiosis theory posits that the relationship between coaches and athletes is the most fundamental relationship within the competitive sports system. This relationship has evolved from 'parasitism' to 'biased symbiosis,' then to 'asymmetric mutual reciprocity,' and ultimately to 'symmetric mutual reciprocity' [53]. The talent development environment creates conditions for mutual dependence and joint development between coaches and athletes, thereby fostering the formation and evolution of this symbiotic relationship. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is frequently employed to examine the influence of the social environment on athletes' motivation to participate and their subjective well-being [54]. The most prevalent conceptual model in sports is Jowett's model [48], which characterizes the coach-athlete relationship as a context in which the emotions, thoughts, and behaviors of both the coach and athlete are causally interconnected. Prior studies predominantly assume a direct effect of talent development environment (TDE) on burnout, as posited by the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model [34]. However, emerging evidence suggests that TDE's influence may be indirect, mediated by relational factors like coach-athlete relationship (CAR). Conservation of Resources (COR) theory [55] emphasizes that environmental resources (e.g., TDE) must be perceived and channeled through proximal relationships (e.g., CAR) to mitigate stress outcomes. This aligns with findings in collectivist cultures where CAR mediates institutional support effects [21]. The impact of the developmental environment and the coach-athlete relationship on athletes' mental health is the focus of this study. It primarily explores the relationships among swimming athletes' developmental environment, the coach-athlete relationship, perception of psychological strain, and athlete burnout. Additionally, it investigates whether the developmental environment and the coach-athlete relationship serve as mediating variables between psychological strain and athlete burnout. In China's collectivist culture, coaches often represent the entirety of the external environment for athletes [56]. The proverb "Once a teacher, always a father" reflects the cultural sanctity of coach authority. This context may amplify CAR's mediating role while diminishing the direct impact of TDE, as athletes perceive coaches as the primary conduit of institutional support [10]. Contrary to Western models emphasizing direct TDE effects, we hypothesize that: H1: CAR fully mediates the relationship between TDE and burnout. H2: Psychological strain directly predicts burnout, but this effect is buffered by the TDE—>CAR—>Burnout pathway. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Participants and Procedures This study, approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Shanghai University of Sport (Approval No.: 102772022RT113), required all participants or their legal guardians to provide online informed consent prior to completing the questionnaire. We selected the competitive swimming athlete group based on the convenience of sample selection. One of the authors had the opportunity to interact with athletes participating in the 2024 Shanghai Youth Swimming Championship. Participants were also invited to share the questionnaires with eligible athletes who did not participate in the competition, ultimately forming the sample for this study. The athletic level standards for swimmers refer to the guidelines provided on the official website of the General Administration of Sport of China [57]. During the period from June to August 2024, at the Shanghai Youth Swimming Competition, questionnaires were distributed to the participants, and the sample was expanded through a snowball sampling method. The participants were athletes who were in a normal training or competition state during the data collection period. The exclusion criteria were: 1) athletes who were not in a normal training or competition state during the data collection period; 2) under the age of 13; 3) non-registered athletes; 4) non-active athletes; 5) more than one-third of the items were left blank; 6) duplicate submissions; 7) submissions that were too short. A total of 320 valid samples were confirmed. The details are shown in Table 1 . There were 14 Division III athletes (4.4%), 65 Division II athletes (20.3%), 152 Division I athletes (47.5%), 82 Master athletes (25.6%), and 7 International Master athletes (2.2%). The main events of these swimmers were freestyle (119, 37.3%), backstroke (59, 18.5%), breaststroke (61, 19.1%), butterfly (58, 18.2%), and individual medley (22, 6.9%). The details of athletes can be found in Table A1. The survey questionnaire was pilot-tested among some students from the author's institution. The study was conducted using an online survey tool, "Sojump" (a network questionnaire survey tool), and questionnaires were distributed to athletes during the Shanghai Youth Swimming Competition. The sample was expanded through a snowball sampling method. The survey was conducted through non-official channels. Athletes signed informed consent online before starting the online survey. The survey was anonymous. Additionally, coaches were also required to share information about the study with any athletes they knew who met the inclusion criteria to expand the sample. Data collection was conducted between June and August 2024. Before starting the online filling, it was made clear to the athletes that others (including coaches) would not know whether they had participated in the survey, they could exit the study at any time, they were not required to answer any questions they did not want to, and only the research team could access their information. After each survey was completed, athletes would receive a personalized link to receive feedback on their results. 2.2. Instruments The study selected general scales suitable for the athlete population for comprehensive investigation. The comprehensive questionnaire included several parts. The first part was basic information about the respondents, including gender, age, location, athlete level, and specialty. The following are the athlete psychological strain questionnaire, talent development environment questionnaire, the coach-athlete relation-ship questionnaire, and Athlete Burnout questionnaire. The criteria for the validity and reliability of these scales are that the correlation between each single item and the total score of the scale must be greater than 0.4 [58]. The steps for the sample data fit were to randomly divide the sample into two groups of approximately equal size, use the first group of data for exploratory factor analysis to observe whether the main factors extracted were the same as the original design [59]. If the main factor extraction did not match the original design, the dimensions would be redivided based on the main factor extraction [60]. Use the second group of data for structural equation model validation, and the fit results must meet the corresponding standards [61]. The final revised scale structure was determined. The content validity of the scales was represented by the Cronbach coefficient [62]. Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ) Athlete Psychological strain was assessed using the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ). The APSQ scale consists of 10 items to assess athlete psychological strain (e.g., "It was difficult to be around teammates," "I found it difficult to do what I needed to do," "I was less motivated", etc.). The scale uses a Likert 5-point scale, with each item scored from 1 to 5, with a total score of 10 to 50. A score of 15 or less is considered no stress, 15–16 is moderate, 17–19 is high, and 20 or more is very high. A score of ≥ 17 is generally recommended for clinical observation. The APSQ has three dimensions: self-discipline difficulties (items 1–4), performance anxiety (items 5–8), and external coping (items 9–10). The scale has been validated in previous studies with high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.87; Cronbach's alpha = 0.84) [25] and has been included by the IOC in the Sports Mental Health Assessment Toolkit (SMHAT-1) [63]. After data fitting for this study, the four subdimensions of the scale remained unchanged, and the internal consistency of the scale was good (α = 0.885). The Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ) The Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ) was used to assess the talent development environment. The TDEQ consists of five dimensions with 25 items: long-term development focus (LTF) with 5 items, alignment of expectations (AOE) with 5 items, communication (COM) with 4 items, holistic quality preparation (HQP) with 7 items, and social network (SN) with 4 items. The scale uses a 6-point rating scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree), with a total score of 25 to 150. The scale has been applied in the athlete population in China (0.66 to 0.76) [64]. The fit of the sample data in this study was not satisfactory. Based on the exploratory factor analysis of the data in this study, the scale structure was adjusted accordingly, with the AOE and COM dimensions merged into a single subdimension ("Communication & Expectations"). The revised scale demonstrated good fit with the sample data and exhibited strong internal consistency (α = 0.917). The Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) The Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) was used to assess the coach-athlete relationship. The CART-Q scale consists of three dimensions with 11 items: closeness dimension including "Do you like your coach?" (4 items), commitment dimension including " I feel close to my coach" (3 items), and complementarity dimension including "When I am coached by my coach, I feel at ease" (4 items). The scale uses a 7-point rating scale from 1 (not at all) to 7 (completely), with a total score ranging from 7 to 77. The scale was developed by Jowett & Ntoumanis [47], and it has been well-applied in the Chinese athlete population [65]. Exploratory factor analysis of the study data revealed cross-loadings in items 2–6, prompting a realignment according to Jowett's 3Cs model. The revised dimensions were organized as follows: Closeness (items 1, 7, 10), Commitment (items 2–6), and Complementarity (items 8–11). The modified scale demonstrated excellent structural validity (α = 0.974) after data fitting. The Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) The Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) was used to assess athlete burnout [28]. It consists of 15 items in three dimensions: physical/emotional exhaustion dimension (5 items), reduced sense of achievement dimension (5 items), and sport devaluation dimension (5 items). Higher scores on each dimension and the total score indicate higher levels of athlete burnout (items 1 and 14 are reverse scored). The scale uses a Likert 5-point rating system from 0 (never) to 4 (always). The ABQ has good construct validity and reliability in Chinese athletes (Gustafsson, et al., 2007). After data fitting for this study, items 1 and 14 were deleted, and the new dimensions were dimension one (items 2 and 4), dimension two (items 5–13), and dimension three (items 15 and 16). The internal consistency of the new ABQ scale was good (α = 0.923). 2.3. Data Analysis The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS v26 software for descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and Amos 26.0 software for structural equation modeling to verify the fit of the scales and the influence of TDEQ and CARTQ as mediating variables. Maximum likelihood estimation was used to calculate the estimates. According to Hooper's recommendation, each structural equation model's fit indices were: comparative fit index (CFI) > 0.9, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) > 0.9, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) < 0.08, with 1 ≤ X2/df ≤ 3 being acceptable [66]. The indirect effects in the Amos analysis were tested using bias-corrected bootstrap resampling with 2000 bootstrap samples. The confidence intervals were calculated at the 95% level, and missing data points were estimated using the sample mean. Since the study analyzed self-report scale data, to avoid the potential for common method bias, Harman's single-factor test was conducted on the data from all the APQS, TDEQ, CARTQ, and ABQ scales to test for common method bias. The unrotated exploratory factor analysis of the data extracted 9 factors with eigenvalues greater than 1, with the first factor explaining 27.5% of the variance, which is less than the 40% threshold for serious common method bias, indicating that the data collected in this study did not suffer from severe common method bias. 3. Results Table 1 shows that the total sample of athletes consisted of 320 individuals, with 190 males (59.3%) and 130 females (40.7%). Significant intergroup differences were found in age, height, weight, and BMI after gender stratification. In terms of athletic levels, significant differences were found in age, height, and weight, but no significant differences were observed in BMI. Table 1 Basic Information of the Athlete Sample All(320) Male(190) Female(130) T Int.Mas.(7) Mas(82) Div.I(152) Div.II(65) Div.III(14) F Age 18.9 ± 3.7 19.3 ± 3.4 18.2 ± 3.9 2.56** 20.9 ± 3.8 19.1 ± 2.9 18.7 ± 3.5 18.4 ± 4.4 21.9 ± 4.7 3.5** Height 176.3 ± 8.5 181.1 ± 6.3 169.2 ± 6.2 16.68** 178.3 ± 8.1 179.5 ± 7.6 176.6 ± 8.1 172.4 ± 9.0 170.9 ± 7.0 8.6** Weight 68.4 ± 11.8 74.5 ± 10.6 59.5 ± 7.0 15.22** 68.6 ± 10.8 71.6 ± 10.9 68.3 ± 11.1 65.2 ± 13.9 65.0 ± 11.1 3.1* BMI 21.9 ± 2.5 22.7 ± 2.6 20.8 ± 1.9 7.50** 21.5 ± 2.0 22.1 ± 2.2 21.8 ± 2.3 21.8 ± 3.4 22.1 ± 2.7 0.3 APSQ 23.0 ± 7.5 22.5 ± 8.0 23.8 ± 6.5 -1.6** 23.1 ± 3.5 24.8 ± 7.3 22.9 ± 7.5 21.5 ± 7.5 21.0 ± 8.8 2.04 TDEQ 63.6 ± 21.0 65.0 ± 20.1 61.5 ± 22.3 1.4 66.9 ± 16.5 62.6 ± 21.6 62.7 ± 21.4 67.3 ± 20.7 59.8 ± 16.7 0.79 CARTQ 64.7 ± 14.8 65.6 ± 15.2 63.4 ± 14.1 1.3 64.0 ± 11.4 61.4 ± 15.5 64.7 ± 15.0 68.4 ± 14.2 66.9 ± 9.6 2.16 ABQ 27.2 ± 10.5 27.3 ± 11.1 27.0 ± 9.7 0.2 24.0 ± 8.4 27.2 ± 9.8 27.3 ± 11.0 27.0 ± 11.4 27.5 ± 7.6 0.18 Note : APSQ: Athlete Psychological strain Questionnaire; TDEQ: Talent Development Environment Questionnaire; CARTQ: Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire; ABQ: Athlete Burnout Questionnaire; Int. Mas.: International Master Level; Mas.: Master level; Div I: Division I level; Div II: Division II level; Div III: Division III level; *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01 The APSQ showed significant differences between male and female athletes, with female athletes scoring significantly higher than male athletes. No significant gender differences were found in the other three indicators. One-way ANOVA did not reveal significant differences in the four indicators across athletic levels. However, pairwise comparisons showed a significant difference between Division II level and Master level athletes. Specifically, Master level athletes scored significantly higher on APSQ but significantly lower on CARTQ compared to Division II level athletes. No significant differences in the indicators were found between other groups. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted on the APSQ, TDEQ, CARTQ, and ABQ scales, resulting in the maintenance of three subscales for the APSQ, adaptation of four subscales for the TDEQ, adaptation of three new subscales for the CARTQ, and adaptation of three new subscales for the ABQ. The main characteristics of these scales are shown in Table 2 . The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the APSQ scale was 0.885, and the KMO sampling adequacy was 0.851; for the TDEQ scale, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.917, and the KMO sampling adequacy was 0.934; for the CARTQ scale, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.974, and the KMO sampling adequacy was 0.951; for the ABQ scale, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.923, and the KMO sampling adequacy was 0.913. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for all scales were greater than 0.80, and the KMO sampling adequacy was greater than 0.60, indicating good reliability and validity for each scale and dimension. Table 2 Descriptive statistics of four scales and their subdimensions Construct KMO and Bartlett’s test Items %variance explained %cumulative variance explained Cronbach’s a APSQ 0.851 10 49.4 63.6 0.885 -SRD 0.778 4 68.2 0.842 -PC 0.772 4 68.8 0.848 -EC 0.500 2 84.9 0.822 TDEQ 0.934 25 40.6 66.6 0.917 -TDEQd1 0.500 2 77.3 0.704 -TDEQd2 0.946 12 63.7 0.947 -TDEQd3 0.918 7 69.3 0.926 -TDEQd4 0.832 4 77.1 0.900 CARTQ 0.951 11 79.8 79.8 0.974 -CARTQd1 0.756 3 88.3 0.932 -CARTQd2 0.901 5 85.0 0.954 -CARTQd3 0.769 3 88.6 0.936 ABQ 0.913 13 52.6 70.1 0.923 -ABQd1 0.500 2 79.5 0.742 -ABQd2 0.640 3 69.0 0.773 -ABQd3 0.915 8 63.4 0.917 The correlation between the scores of APSQ, TDEQ, CARTQ, and ABQ was analyzed. As shown in Table 3 , APSQ was significantly positively correlated with ABQ (r = 0.45, P < 0.01), but negatively correlated with the TDEQ (r = -0.23, P < 0.01) and CARTQ (r = -0.19, P < 0.01). The TDEQ (r = -0.29, P < 0.01) and CARTQ (r = -0.26, P < 0.01) were significantly negatively correlated with ABQ. Except for ABQ-d1, which was not significantly correlated with other dimensions, the correlations were relatively significant. Among them, the total score of APSQ and its three dimensions were most strongly correlated with the total score and dimensions of ABQ. Table 3 The relationship between APSQ, TDEQ, CARTQ and ABQ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 1.SRD 1 2.PC 0.64** 1 3.EC 0.44** 0.36** 1 4.APSQ 0.89** 0.89** 0.60** 1 5.TDEQ-d1 -0.20** -0.10 -0.16** -0.18** 1 6.TDEQ-d2 -0.20** -0.09 -0.11 -0.16** 0.69** 1 7.TDEQ-d3 -0.13* -0.02 -0.18** -0.11* -0.02 0.01 1 8.TDEQ-d4 -0.25** -0.20** -0.09 -0.24** 0.48** 0.68** -0.04 1 9.TDEQ -0.27** -0.13* -0.17** -0.23** 0.70** 0.92** 0.33** 0.75** 1 10.CARTQ-d1 -0.22** -0.17** -0.10 -0.21** 0.41** 0.55** 0.16** 0.46** 0.58** 1 11.CARTQ-d2 -0.18** -0.10 -0.17** -0.17** 0.38** 0.50** 0.18** 0.40** 0.54** 0.89** 1 12.CARTQ-d3 -0.18** -0.09 -0.16** -0.16** 0.34** 0.46** 0.16** 0.36** 0.49** 0.84** 0.87** 1 13.CARTQ -0.20** -0.12* -0.15** -0.19** 0.39** 0.52** 0.18** 0.42** 0.56** 0.95** 0.98** 0.94** 1 14.ABQ-d1 0.24** 0.31** 0.05 0.28** 0.00 0.00 -0.24** 0.01 -0.07 -0.10 -0.05 -0.04 -0.07 1 15.ABQ-d2 0.27** 0.09 0.23** 0.22** -0.11 -0.14* -0.30** -0.08 -0.22** -0.14* -0.20** -0.18** -0.19** 0.45** 1 16.ABQ-d3 0.49** 0.41** 0.27** 0.50** -0.13* -0.19** -0.35** -0.22** -0.31** -0.29** -0.28** -0.24** -0.28** 0.58** 0.65** 1 17.ABQ 0.45** 0.36** 0.26** 0.45** -0.12* -0.17** -0.36** -0.17** -0.29** -0.26** -0.25** -0.22** -0.26** 0.69** 0.80** 0.97** 1 Structural equation modeling was conducted using Amos plug-in, with TDEQ, CART-Q, APSQ, and ABQ as latent variables, and all variables' sub-dimensions were imported. The structural equation model is shown in Fig. 1 , which includes four variables and their structural relationships. APSQ includes three indicators: self-regulation difficulties, performance concerns, and externalized coping. Talent development environment includes four dimensions: TDEQd1, TDEQd2, and SN. Coach-athlete relationship includes three dimensions: closeness, commitment, and complementarity. Athlete Burnout includes three subdimensions: PEE, RSA, and SD. After adding the direction of the influence paths among the variables in the structural equation modelling, it was found that none of the effects of TDEQ on ABQ was significant, The effects of APSQ to ABQ (β=0.136, P<0.01), APSQ to TDEQ (β=-0.153, P<0.01), TDEQ to CARTQ (β= 1.340, p<0.01) and CARTQ to ABQ (β=-0.034, p<0.01) path coefficients were statistically significant, and after deleting the two directions that were not significant, the fit results were: x²=139.681, df=49, p=0.000, x2/df=2.851, SRMR=0.0485, RMSEA= 0.076, CFI=0.960, GFI=0.929. CARTQ mediated TDE's effect on burnout (βindirect=-0.095, 95% CI [-0.167, -0.044], p<0.01), while the direct TDEQ on burnout path was nonsignificant (β=0.041, p=0.312). APSQ retained a direct positive effect on burnout (β=0.463, p<0.001). After adding the direction of the influence paths among the variables in the structural equation modelling, it was found that none of the effects of TDEQ on ABQ was significant, The effects of APSQ to ABQ (β=0.136, P<0.01), APSQ to TDEQ (β=-0.153, P<0.01), TDEQ to CARTQ (β= 1.340, p<0.01) and CARTQ to ABQ (β=-0.034, p<0.01) path coefficients were statistically significant, and after deleting the two directions that were not significant, the fit results were: x²=139.681, df=49, p=0.000, x2/df=2.851, SRMR=0.0485, RMSEA= 0.076, CFI=0.960, GFI=0.929. CARTQ mediated TDE's effect on burnout (βindirect=-0.095, 95% CI [-0.167, -0.044], p<0.01), while the direct TDEQ on burnout path was nonsignificant (β=0.041, p=0.312). APSQ retained a direct positive effect on burnout (β=0.463, p<0.001). Table 5 shows the coefficients, standard errors, and 95% confidence intervals for the paths from APSQ to ABQ and from APSQ through TDEQ and CARTQ to ABQ. The in-direct path coefficient from APSQ through TDEQ and CARTQ to ABQ was 0.024, with the total indirect effect accounting for 4.93%. The buffering (negative) effect of TDEQ and CARTQ in the total indirect effect accounted for 79.8%. Table 4. Coefficients, Standard Error, Critical Ratio of Model 2 Path Coefficients Standard Co. Standard Error Critical Ratio P value APSQ--->ABQ 0.136 0.463 0.027 5.119 *** APSQ--->TDEQ -0.153 -0.246 0.041 -3.754 *** TDEQ--->CARTQ 1.340 0.572 0.142 9.464 *** CARTQ--->ABQ -0.034 -0.167 0.010 -3.313 *** Table 5. Bootstrap Mediation Analysis with Effect Sizes Path Standard Co Standard Error P value 95%CI Lower Upper TDEQ--->CARTQ--->ABQ -0.095 0.031 0.000** -0.167 -0.044 APSQ--->TDEQ--->CARTQ--->ABQ 0.024 0.011 0.001* 0.009 0.053 Direct Effect APSQ--->ABQ 0.463 0.079 0.001* 0.315 0.617 Total Effect 0.487 0.079 0.001* 0.331 0.638 Proportion of Total Indirect Effect 4.93% Note: Bootstrap method (n=2000) was used to analyze the reliability of the influence paths, and 95% confidence intervals of each path were found. The bootstrap analysis confirmed the significance of the indirect path (APSQ--->TDE--->CAR--->ABQ: β=0.024, 95% CI [0.009, 0.053], κ²=0.042, small effect). The total indirect effect accounted for 4.93% of the variance in burnout, with the TDE--->CAR--->ABQ buffering effect contributing 79.8% of this indirect variance. 4. Discussion The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships and influence pathways between the perceived psychological strain, talent development environment, coach-athlete relationship, and Athlete Burnout of competitive swimmers, and to verify the effects of the talent development environment and coach-athlete relationship in alleviating the impact of perceived psychological strain on Athlete Burnout. The results demonstrated that while perceived psychological strain exerted predominant direct effects on athletic burnout, the talent development environment (TDE) and coach-athlete relationship (CAR) collectively functioned as partial buffers through an indirect pathway. In this study, among the four indicators examined, significant gender differences were found in APSQ. Female athletes reported significantly higher levels of perceived stress compared to male athletes. This finding aligns with previous research [67], which suggests that societal norms and expectations for athletes may vary by gender. However, no significant gender differences were observed in ABQ scores in this study. In contrast , some prior studies [68] reported higher ABQ scores across all dimensions for male athletes, potentially linked to male depersonalization tendencies. Other studies, such as Isoard-Gautheu et al, did not find significant gender differences [50]. Pairwise comparisons between competition levels revealed that athletes at the elite level reported significantly higher APSQ scores than second-tier athletes, while their CARTQ scores were significantly lower. This suggests that higher-level athletes perceive greater external pressure but rate their relationship with coaches as lower in quality. Overall, although one-way ANOVA results were not statistically significant, elite athletes demonstrated higher perceived stress, lower TDE self-evaluations, and lower CAR self-evaluations. Previous research has similarly identified a trend of increasing psychological pressure with higher athletic levels among Chinese athletes [69]. When considering TDE and CAR, athletes at the second-highest level appear to face greater psychological challenges, including dissatisfaction with their environment and relationships with coaches, highlighting them as a group requiring targeted attention. One potential explanation is the significant difficulty of advancing from the elite to the international level, compounded by the cumulative impact of years of training, burnout, and injuries. Additionally, dissatisfaction with resource allocation in the developmental environment may become more pronounced over time, serving as a major factor contributing to the psychological challenges faced by this group of athletes. This study determined the direct influence pathway of perceived psychological strain on Athlete Burnout, which has been repeatedly confirmed in previous studies. A meta-analysis confirmed a strong correlation between strain and burnout (overall effect size of 0.505) [21]. Athlete's perceived psychological strain has a direct impact on burnout but is also considered an intermediary factor influencing burnout. For example, psychological strain mediates the effect of perfectionism on athletic burnout [1], as well as the influence of attachment types [70]. Indicators such as psychological resilience and self-concept clarity also act as mediators in the relationship between perceived stress and athletic burnout [71]. Chinese elite swimmers demonstrate medal-winning potential in world-class competitions [72]. However, China's unique training system, socioeconomic conditions, and intense competitive environment subject athletes to tremendous developmental pressures, resulting in heightened perception of external stressors and negative performance impacts [73]. Prolonged exposure to such high-intensity psychological strain may lead to severe mental health issues and, in extreme cases, premature career termination [74] - a key contributing factor to the relatively shorter competitive lifespans of Chinese athletes. Path analysis revealed that the talent development environment (TDE) did not exert significant direct effects on athletic burnout (β = 0.11, p = 0.213). Although significant correlations between TDE and burnout were observed [40], structural equation modeling demonstrated complete mediation through the coach-athlete relationship (CAR), with no detectable direct pathway. This pattern likely stems from China's distinctive "cultivation-style" talent development ecosystem [75], where the alignment between TDE's performance-oriented objectives and athletes' psychological needs follows unique theoretical dynamics. While specialized training regimens amplify TDE's broad impacts on emotional regulation and social development [76], this very specialization may account for the null direct effects on mental health outcomes observed in our study. The Confucian cultural norm of "reverence for teachers and respect for doctrine" [56] establishes coaches as omnibus representatives of the external environment, leading athletes to primarily fulfill psychological needs through CAR [55] while comparatively neglecting other support resources [10]. This cultural-institutional configuration explains our counterintuitive finding regarding the non-significant association between the High-Quality Preparation (HQP) subdimension and overall TDE scores (r = 0.09, p = 0.12). The Path of TDE alleviating ABQ through the CAR highlights the core function of CAR. This pathway has been established in many studies. Coaches evidently play a central role in TDE and can significantly influence athletes' development, whether positively or negatively [77]. Coaches play a critical and influential role in athletes’ social and psychological development [78]. According to Rossing, NN (2022), coaches serve as the engine of the athlete development environment, with coach-athlete relationships often surpassing direct interactions with other influential adults, including parents [79]. This influence is particularly pronounced for athletes in the early stages of training, where the coach is the most crucial factor in the development environment. Both high-skill and low-skill players regard the coach’s care as a vital characteristic in early development stages. The encouragement and environment provided by coaches may be key factors in attracting athletes to long-term sports participation [80]. Research indicates that during the transformation of objective environmental re-sources (TDE) such as training facilities and medical support into psychological benefits, coaches play a crucial "signal converter" role [77]. Competent coaches can effectively translate institutional support into personalized care perceived by athletes - for instance, by appropriately arranging training schedules to reflect the "long-term development focus" dimension of TDE. The efficiency of this conversion process ultimately determines the psychological protective benefits derived from environmental resources. Conversely, when coaches exhibit communication barriers or authoritarian tendencies, athletes may develop "resource perception bias" even within favorable TDE conditions, thereby diminishing the supportive effects of the environment. Furthermore, coaches serve multiple functions as "developmental buffers." According to athletic career development theory [78], coaches consistently provide comprehensive support across different growth stages, including technical development, emotional regulation, and social adaptation. This makes the Coach-Athlete Relationship (CAR) a critical system for counterbalancing the impact of daily stressors on athletes. Particularly during early developmental stages, coaches exert significantly greater influence than parents [79], and this early-formed attachment pattern continues to shape athletes' stress-coping strategies throughout their mid-to-late career phases. Finally, the coach-athlete relationship (CAR) possesses the unique function of "psychological resource compensation." Under China's sports management system of "coach accountability," CAR often becomes athletes' primary (and sometimes sole) channel for obtaining psychological support. When other support elements in the TDE (such as teammate relationships or family support) are lacking, high-quality CAR can functionally compensate by providing social network support, reframing stress cognition, and developing self-regulation skills [80]. This explains why in our study, even when overall TDE evaluations were suboptimal, athletes with strong CAR maintained relatively low burnout levels. The core findings of this study further reveal that CAR's alleviation of athletic burnout operates through a dual mechanism: serving both as a mediator of TDE's influence while also demonstrating independent protective effects. This finding aligns with longitudinal research by Lafrenière et al [81], whose tracking data showed that CAR quality predicted reductions in burnout symptoms two years later (β=-0.31, p < 0.01), with this effect being more pronounced among elite athletes (ΔR²=0.07). This moderating effect may stem from the "relationship-development match" theory pro-posed by Jowett and Wylleman [82]. China's unique "master-disciple" cultural tradition further enriches this mechanism - athletes' gratitude orientation toward coaches [83] activates traditional ethical obligations, thereby enhancing CAR's psychological buffering effect. This culturally contextualized mechanism challenges the universal applicability of the JD-R model [34]. Our structural equation modeling revealed that when CAR was introduced as a mediator, TDE's direct effect on burnout (β = 0.11) became non-significant (p = 0.213), while the indirect effect (β=-0.28, 95%CI[-0.35,-0.21]) accounted for 72% of the total effect. This finding strongly supports the resource compensation hypothesis of COR theory [55]: in resource-constrained environments (such as specialized sports school management systems), individuals preferentially rely on the most accessible relational resource (CAR) to maintain psychological equilibrium. Ethnographic research by Si et al [56] provides cultural explanation: through the "strict father-filial son" interaction script, Chinese coaches simultaneously apply pressure and provide shelter - this paradoxical support precisely meets collectivist cultural expectations of authority relationships. 5. Conclusions Athlete burnout reflects an imbalance between individual resources and environmental demands [84]. The results of this study point out that each dimension of CARTQ is significantly correlated with each dimension of ABQ. Moreover, CARTQ has a direct path of influence on ABQ. It indicates that the relationship between coaches and athletes has a vital role in protecting athletes' mental health and delaying the occurrence of athlete burnout. Overall, this study confirms the direct effect of athletes’ perceived stress on athletic burnout and highlights the indirect pathways through which the talent development environment and CAR influence this effect. The findings demonstrate that the talent development environment does not directly impact athletic burnout but mitigates it through the coach-athlete relationship. As the immediate environment for athletes’ professional growth, the talent development environment needs to be perceived by athletes to affect their performance. Among Chinese swimmers, the coach-athlete relationship constitutes almost the entirety of their perceived external environment, illustrating its critical value. The quality of the coach-athlete relationship profoundly impacts athletes’ mental health. In daily training, alongside closely monitoring athletes’ psychological health, comprehensive athlete support measures should emphasize the coach’s role. Compared to other stakeholders, coaches are the central force ensuring athletes’ healthy development [85]. Maintaining high-quality coach-athlete relationships and meeting athletes’ basic psychological needs are essential to reducing the risk of athletic burnout [74]. 6. Limitation and Future Directions While the cross-sectional design limits causal inferences, the theoretical foundations in self-determination theory (SDT) and conservation of resources (COR) theory support the plausibility of the proposed pathways. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to examine the dynamic mediation effects of coach-athlete relationships (CAR), incorporate objective measures (e.g., behavioral observations) to complement self-report data, and validate the adapted scales in independent samples. Cross-cultural comparisons between collectivist (e.g., China) and individualist (e.g., U.S.) contexts would further elucidate the cultural moderation effects observed in this study. Declarations Acknowledgements Not applicable. Authors’ contributions Lei Wang, Yezhou Guo, and Zejun Yan contributed to data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Lei Wang, Yezhou Guo, and Zejun Yan contributed to the writing of the manuscript. Lei Wang, Yezhou Guo contributed to the critical revision of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript and have given consent for the submission of the final article. Funding No funding was received for this project. Data availability All data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper and its Supplementary Information files. Ethics approval and consent to participate This study, approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Shanghai University of Sport (Approval No.: 102772022RT113), required all participants or their legal guardians to provide online informed consent prior to completing the questionnaire. The collected data were anonymized to ensure confidentiality. All procedures were performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. References Garinger LM, Chow GM, Luzzeri M. The effect of perceived stress and specialization on the relationship between perfectionism and burnout in collegiate athletes. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2018;31: 714–727. doi:10.1080/10615806.2018.1521514 Xiang C, Dong W, Kamalden TFT, Ismail N, Luo H. Structural analysis of environmental factors of sports talent development. 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How relationship-maintenance strategies influence athlete burnout: Mediating roles of coach–athlete relationship and basic psychological needs satisfaction. Front Psychol. 2023;13: 1104143. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1104143 John JM, Thiel A. Talent as a social construction: Proposing a constructivist conceptualization of athletic talent. Z Für Erzieh. 2022;25: 1199–1220. doi:10.1007/s11618-022-01110-2 Ribeiro J, Davids K, Silva P, Coutinho P, Barreira D, Garganta J. Talent development in sport requires athlete enrichment: Contemporary insights from a nonlinear pedagogy and the athletic skills model. Sports Med. 2021;51: 1115–1122. doi:10.1007/s40279-021-01437-6 Hauser L-L, Harwood CG, Höner O, O’Connor D, Wachsmuth S. Talent development environments within sports: A scoping review examining functional and dysfunctional environmental features. Int Rev Sport Exerc Psychol. 2024;17: 1105–1131. doi:10.1080/1750984X.2022.2129423 Wylleman P, Lavallee D. A developmental perspective on transitions faced by athletes. Dev Sport Exerc Psychol Lifesp Perspect. 2004; 507–527. Conroy DE, Coatsworth JD. Coach training as a strategy for promoting youth social development. 2006 [cited 18 Jun 2025]. doi:10.1123/tsp.20.2.128 Coutinho P, Ribeiro J, da Silva SM, Fonseca AM, Mesquita I. The influence of parents, coaches, and peers in the long-term development of highly skilled and less skilled volleyball players. Front Psychol. 2021;12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.667542 Lafrenière M-AK, Jowett S, Vallerand RJ, Carbonneau N. Passion for coaching and the quality of the coach–athlete relationship: The mediating role of coaching behaviors. Psychol Sport Exerc. 2011;12: 144–152. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2010.08.002 Jowett S, Wylleman P. Interpersonal relationships in sport and exercise settings: Crossing the chasm. Psychol Sport Exerc. 2006;7: 119–123. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2005.08.001 Yukhymenko-Lescroart MA, Ruser JB, Gabana NT, Gilbert JN. Assessing burnout in subgroups of athletes based on gratitude and perceived coach-athlete relationship. Psychol Rep. 2022;125: 964–985. doi:10.1177/0033294121991837 Ye, L., Wang, B., Ma, H., Wu, M., Dong, L. Concept, Theoretical Models, and Research Prospects of Athlete Burnout. Journal of Chengdu Sport University. 2016;42: 83–88, 95. doi:10.15942/j.jcsu.2016.01.01685. Henriksen K. The ecology of talent development in sport: A multiple case study of successful athletic talent development environments in scandinavia. 2010 [cited 18 Jun 2025]. Available: https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/en/publications/the-ecology-of-talent-development-in-sport-a-multiple-case-study- Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Detailsofathletesamples.docx Additional files Additional files 1: Details of athlete samples.docx Format: Microsoft Word (.docx) Title: Detailed information of the athlete subjects Description of data: Contains complete demographic and sport-specific data for 320 athletes included in the study. Questionnaire.docx Additional files 2: Questionnaire.docx Format: Microsoft Word (.docx) Title: Detailed information of questionnaire Description of data: Full questionnaire with all survey items and scales used in the study. Rawdata.xlsx Additional file 3: Raw data.xlsx Format: Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) Title: Raw data Description of data: Contains all raw questionnaire responses collected during the study. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 07 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Sep, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 25 Sep, 2025 Editor invited by journal 04 Jul, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 25 Jun, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 25 Jun, 2025 First submitted to journal 24 Jun, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6966955","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":525518884,"identity":"4b98aa95-6ef0-4b17-b8cf-539e8836fc23","order_by":0,"name":"Zejun Yan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai Nanhui Middle School","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zejun","middleName":"","lastName":"Yan","suffix":""},{"id":525518885,"identity":"deef634a-ec8c-459a-91cc-669ece7812f1","order_by":1,"name":"Lei Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai University of 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Values on the lines represent standardized path coefficients, *p \u0026lt; 0.05, **p \u0026lt; 0.01.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6966955/v1/59faf470643f5ad1e800fd4d.png"},{"id":93019106,"identity":"b558c97c-6df3-4e61-bcf1-30d7da35e8dd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-08 08:31:20","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1074580,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6966955/v1/0ded661f-2ecc-49e1-be1f-4c0cc6a29c3d.pdf"},{"id":93018126,"identity":"676fa0f4-2bd1-4fc7-a305-af82f773a7d9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-08 08:23:15","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":22944,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAdditional files\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditional files 1: Details of athlete samples.docx\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormat: Microsoft Word (.docx)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTitle: Detailed information of the athlete subjects\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDescription of data: Contains complete demographic and sport-specific data for 320 athletes included in the study.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Detailsofathletesamples.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6966955/v1/124c0686c674ffc6c4028616.docx"},{"id":93018127,"identity":"2fc8bb31-1c31-44f8-a8d2-0d4cb5551476","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-08 08:23:15","extension":"docx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":29286,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAdditional files 2: Questionnaire.docx\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormat: Microsoft Word (.docx)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTitle: Detailed information of questionnaire\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDescription of data: Full questionnaire with all survey items and scales used in the study.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Questionnaire.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6966955/v1/5ff87e9de693d27233f47915.docx"},{"id":93018133,"identity":"8e30aac2-c4f3-4836-9841-58e1ad9b1e11","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-08 08:23:16","extension":"xlsx","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":130545,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAdditional file 3: Raw data.xlsx\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormat: Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTitle: Raw data\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDescription of data: Contains all raw questionnaire responses collected during the study.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Rawdata.xlsx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6966955/v1/e2381eef56725ea5199f986d.xlsx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"The Mediating Role of Coach-Athlete Relationship in Linking Talent Development Environment to Swimmer Burnout: A Cross-Sectional Study","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eAthletes face significant competition and training pressures, which can detrimentally impact their mental health [1]. The developmental environment is crucial for both the short-term and long-term performance, as well as the physical and mental well-being of athletes, as it provides essential support [2]. The relationship between coaches and athletes plays a vital role in the daily lives of athletes, particularly during training sessions [3]. Both the developmental environment and the coach-athlete relationship significantly influence the physical and mental health challenges faced by athletes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) and sports management organizations across various countries have increasingly prioritized the management of athletes' mental health to enhance athletic performance. In March 2019, the IOC published the \"Mental Health in Elite Athletes: International Olympic Committee Consensus Statement\" [4], which proposes standardized, evidence-based assessment methods for identifying mental health symptoms in elite athletes. That same year, the International Society of Sports Psychology released the \"Consensus Statement on Improving the Mental Health of High-Performance Athletes\" [5], which advocates for defining sports mental health within specific contexts and developing comprehensive psychological assessment strategies. This statement also highlights the significance of considering environmental factors affecting athletes' health as part of a holistic and sustainable approach to talent development. Additionally, several national and regional sports management organizations offer daily psychological counseling and coaching services for competitive athletes [6].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChina's sports talent development system is notably distinctive, employing a three-tiered training network as its primary framework. This pyramid-shaped talent training system, overseen by the General Administration of Sport of China [7], encompasses elite sports schools (the third level), provincial representative teams (the second level), and national teams (the first level). The three-tiered sports talent development system is bolstered by administrative measures and financial support from the government, serving as a crucial organizational foundation for the success of China's competitive sports [8]. In addition to the uniqueness of this training system, Chinese social norms have also significantly influenced the coach-athlete relationship. For example, the ancient Chinese adage \"Once a teacher, always a father\" underscores the esteemed status of the coach, or \"Shifu,\" equating it with that of a parent. Moreover, collectivism has profoundly shaped interpersonal relationships in China [9], including the dynamics of the coach-athlete relationship. The prevalence of authoritarian coaching behavior [10] places the coach-athlete relationship at the heart of an athlete's daily experience.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec2\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e1.1. Athlete Psychological Strain\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe development of psychological symptoms in athletes is prominently characterized by psychological tension, which encompasses perceived stress and difficulties in coping. Psychological tension may manifest as chronic emotional exhaustion and reactions to stressful experiences [11], particularly when individuals perceive a lack of sufficient resources to cope [12]. When coping resources are inadequate relative to an athlete's demands, stress-related symptoms may emerge [13]. Stress theories delineate three factors that contribute to psychological strain: the failure to achieve positively valued goals, the removal of positive stimuli, and the introduction of negative stimuli. Each of these factors can elicit a cascade of negative emotions, such as anger, frustration, and despair. Individuals can only effectively manage these emotions through the utilization of appropriate coping mechanisms [14].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo achieve high-level performance, competitive athletes must manage the long-term pressures of training and competition, often manifesting symptoms such as abdominal pain, insufficient sleep, and headaches [15]. Common stressors for athletes include competitions, sports injuries, self-expectations, and various other dimensions [16]. Additionally, there are organizational stressors, competitive stressors, and environmental issues [17]. While moderate stress can enhance performance, excessive stress has detrimental effects, primarily reflected in \"performance,\" \"psychology,\" and \"behavior\" [18]. According to Jacqueline et al., psychological strain can adversely impact athletic performance by diminishing the level of natural physiological arousal [19]. Stress is also intricately linked to irrational beliefs and mental health; the greater the challenges athletes encounter, the more pronounced the stress. However, excessive stress may lead to decreased self-esteem and self-deprecation, adversely affecting athletes' mental health [20]. The sources of stress differ among athletes at various developmental stages and levels of competition, and the personal and environmental resources necessary to maintain balance also vary, resulting in distinct physiological and psychological responses [21]. Regardless of the stressors involved, early identification and management of stress-related issues or mental health symptoms are crucial for facilitating timely intervention at the onset of these issues [22,23]. Assessments in these domains may enhance early detection and intervention for affected athletes. Tools for measuring psychological strain in athletes include the Kessler-10 [24] and the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire [25].\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e1.2. Athlete Burnout\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAthlete burnout is a distinct form of occupational burnout specifically experienced by athletes. As they engage in prolonged training and competitive activities, athletes face various burnout-related challenges. Athlete burnout is characterized as a syndrome that encompasses emotional and physical exhaustion, diminished sports performance, and a devaluation of sports, ultimately leading to withdrawal from athletic participation [26]. Some researchers define it as sports-related psychological fatigue [27]. Emotional and physical exhaustion arises from the perceived depletion of both physical and mental resources due to training or competition. Reduced achievement refers to a tendency to evaluate one's athletic abilities and accomplishments negatively, while sports devaluation indicates a cynical perspective towards participation in sports [28]. Burnout can be attributed to various causes, including psychological strain [29], which heightens emotional exhaustion and diminishes personal achievement [30]. The likelihood of experiencing burnout increases with greater stress levels. Research indicates a positive correlation between different types of stress and burnout [31]. Additionally, Personality traits, such as high levels of sport-specific stress [32] and perfectionism [1], contribute to this phenomenon. Burnout is typically characterized by three dimensions: physical and emotional fatigue, reduced achievement, and sports devaluation. Scholars exhibit some variation in their views regarding which dimension of burnout is most strongly associated with stress. For instance, A study [33] assert that reduced achievement is the dimension most closely related to stress, while others argue that physical and emotional fatigue has a stronger correlation [34]. Stress impacts burnout both directly and indirectly; athletes experiencing heightened stress often undergo negative emotions, leading to burnout [35]. Certain interventions, such as mindfulness therapy [36] and leisure activities [37], can alleviate burnout by mitigating psychological strain.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e1. 3. Talent Developmental Environment\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe talent developmental environment is a crucial social factor influencing athletes' mental health [38]. Gerdin categorizes the athlete development environment into management and coaching, as well as the surrounding and developmental environments. He posits that the effectiveness of the development environment largely hinges on the management's efforts, the coaches' allocation of time and resources, and the communication and collaboration with other coaches, clubs, regions, academies, regional centers, and associations to secure additional support and resources [39]. Li further delineates the athlete development environment into five dimensions: long-term development focus, overall quality preparation, support network, communication, and consistency of expectations [40]. Research indicates a strong correlation between the development environment and athlete burnout, revealing that athletes with robust social support are less susceptible to burnout [41]. In a high-quality athlete development environment, athletes can appreciate the long-term development focus, better understand methods and goals [42], experience enhanced well-being [43], and report lower stress levels [44,45]. Additionally, their ability to cope with stress improves [46].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e1. 4. Coach-Athlete Relationship\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe coach-athlete relationship is defined as the \"situation in which the emotional, intellectual, and behavioral interrelations between coaches and athletes are mutually causal\" [47]. Jowett formulated the 3Cs model of coach-athlete relationships, which includes intimacy, commitment, and complementarity. Intimacy reflects the emotional significance that athletes attribute to their relationship with coaches, encompassing elements such as respect, trust, and affection. Commitment refers to the intention to maintain a long-term partnership in the key sports domain, while complementarity denotes the cooperative interactions between coaches and athletes during training [48]. Given that athletes spend considerable time with coaches during daily training and competitions, the coach-athlete relationship is crucial. Research indicates that this relationship significantly influences athletes' psychological strain and burnout symptoms. A positive coach-athlete relationship fosters autonomous behavior and complementarity among athletes, resulting in reduced stress symptoms, enhanced personal achievement, and diminished physical and psychological fatigue [49,50]. Higher levels of intimacy and complementarity within the coach-athlete relationship also positively affect the sustainability of stress and burnout [51]. Conversely, conflicts in the coach-athlete relationship exacerbate athletes' stress and burnout [52]. Therefore, we hypothesize that athletes experiencing high levels of stress can mitigate burnout through the cultivation of strong coach-athlete relationships.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e1. 5. Conclusion\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe talent development environment and the coach-athlete relationship significantly impact athletes' mental health. Li's symbiosis theory posits that the relationship between coaches and athletes is the most fundamental relationship within the competitive sports system. This relationship has evolved from 'parasitism' to 'biased symbiosis,' then to 'asymmetric mutual reciprocity,' and ultimately to 'symmetric mutual reciprocity' [53]. The talent development environment creates conditions for mutual dependence and joint development between coaches and athletes, thereby fostering the formation and evolution of this symbiotic relationship. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is frequently employed to examine the influence of the social environment on athletes' motivation to participate and their subjective well-being [54]. The most prevalent conceptual model in sports is Jowett's model [48], which characterizes the coach-athlete relationship as a context in which the emotions, thoughts, and behaviors of both the coach and athlete are causally interconnected. Prior studies predominantly assume a direct effect of talent development environment (TDE) on burnout, as posited by the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model [34]. However, emerging evidence suggests that TDE's influence may be indirect, mediated by relational factors like coach-athlete relationship (CAR). Conservation of Resources (COR) theory [55] emphasizes that environmental resources (e.g., TDE) must be perceived and channeled through proximal relationships (e.g., CAR) to mitigate stress outcomes. This aligns with findings in collectivist cultures where CAR mediates institutional support effects [21].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe impact of the developmental environment and the coach-athlete relationship on athletes' mental health is the focus of this study. It primarily explores the relationships among swimming athletes' developmental environment, the coach-athlete relationship, perception of psychological strain, and athlete burnout. Additionally, it investigates whether the developmental environment and the coach-athlete relationship serve as mediating variables between psychological strain and athlete burnout. In China's collectivist culture, coaches often represent the entirety of the external environment for athletes [56]. The proverb \"Once a teacher, always a father\" reflects the cultural sanctity of coach authority. This context may amplify CAR's mediating role while diminishing the direct impact of TDE, as athletes perceive coaches as the primary conduit of institutional support [10]. Contrary to Western models emphasizing direct TDE effects, we hypothesize that: H1: CAR fully mediates the relationship between TDE and burnout. H2: Psychological strain directly predicts burnout, but this effect is buffered by the TDE\u0026mdash;\u0026gt;CAR\u0026mdash;\u0026gt;Burnout pathway.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.1. Participants and Procedures\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study, approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Shanghai University of Sport (Approval No.: 102772022RT113), required all participants or their legal guardians to provide online informed consent prior to completing the questionnaire. We selected the competitive swimming athlete group based on the convenience of sample selection. One of the authors had the opportunity to interact with athletes participating in the 2024 Shanghai Youth Swimming Championship. Participants were also invited to share the questionnaires with eligible athletes who did not participate in the competition, ultimately forming the sample for this study. The athletic level standards for swimmers refer to the guidelines provided on the official website of the General Administration of Sport of China [57]. During the period from June to August 2024, at the Shanghai Youth Swimming Competition, questionnaires were distributed to the participants, and the sample was expanded through a snowball sampling method. The participants were athletes who were in a normal training or competition state during the data collection period. The exclusion criteria were: 1) athletes who were not in a normal training or competition state during the data collection period; 2) under the age of 13; 3) non-registered athletes; 4) non-active athletes; 5) more than one-third of the items were left blank; 6) duplicate submissions; 7) submissions that were too short. A total of 320 valid samples were confirmed. The details are shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. There were 14 Division III athletes (4.4%), 65 Division II athletes (20.3%), 152 Division I athletes (47.5%), 82 Master athletes (25.6%), and 7 International Master athletes (2.2%). The main events of these swimmers were freestyle (119, 37.3%), backstroke (59, 18.5%), breaststroke (61, 19.1%), butterfly (58, 18.2%), and individual medley (22, 6.9%). The details of athletes can be found in Table A1.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe survey questionnaire was pilot-tested among some students from the author's institution. The study was conducted using an online survey tool, \"Sojump\" (a network questionnaire survey tool), and questionnaires were distributed to athletes during the Shanghai Youth Swimming Competition. The sample was expanded through a snowball sampling method. The survey was conducted through non-official channels. Athletes signed informed consent online before starting the online survey. The survey was anonymous. Additionally, coaches were also required to share information about the study with any athletes they knew who met the inclusion criteria to expand the sample. Data collection was conducted between June and August 2024. Before starting the online filling, it was made clear to the athletes that others (including coaches) would not know whether they had participated in the survey, they could exit the study at any time, they were not required to answer any questions they did not want to, and only the research team could access their information. After each survey was completed, athletes would receive a personalized link to receive feedback on their results.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.2. Instruments\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe study selected general scales suitable for the athlete population for comprehensive investigation. The comprehensive questionnaire included several parts. The first part was basic information about the respondents, including gender, age, location, athlete level, and specialty. The following are the athlete psychological strain questionnaire, talent development environment questionnaire, the coach-athlete relation-ship questionnaire, and Athlete Burnout questionnaire. The criteria for the validity and reliability of these scales are that the correlation between each single item and the total score of the scale must be greater than 0.4 [58]. The steps for the sample data fit were to randomly divide the sample into two groups of approximately equal size, use the first group of data for exploratory factor analysis to observe whether the main factors extracted were the same as the original design [59]. If the main factor extraction did not match the original design, the dimensions would be redivided based on the main factor extraction [60]. Use the second group of data for structural equation model validation, and the fit results must meet the corresponding standards [61]. The final revised scale structure was determined. The content validity of the scales was represented by the Cronbach coefficient [62].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAthlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAthlete Psychological strain was assessed using the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ). The APSQ scale consists of 10 items to assess athlete psychological strain (e.g., \"It was difficult to be around teammates,\" \"I found it difficult to do what I needed to do,\" \"I was less motivated\", etc.). The scale uses a Likert 5-point scale, with each item scored from 1 to 5, with a total score of 10 to 50. A score of 15 or less is considered no stress, 15\u0026ndash;16 is moderate, 17\u0026ndash;19 is high, and 20 or more is very high. A score of \u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;17 is generally recommended for clinical observation. The APSQ has three dimensions: self-discipline difficulties (items 1\u0026ndash;4), performance anxiety (items 5\u0026ndash;8), and external coping (items 9\u0026ndash;10). The scale has been validated in previous studies with high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.87; Cronbach's alpha\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.84) [25] and has been included by the IOC in the Sports Mental Health Assessment Toolkit (SMHAT-1) [63]. After data fitting for this study, the four subdimensions of the scale remained unchanged, and the internal consistency of the scale was good (α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.885).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ) was used to assess the talent development environment. The TDEQ consists of five dimensions with 25 items: long-term development focus (LTF) with 5 items, alignment of expectations (AOE) with 5 items, communication (COM) with 4 items, holistic quality preparation (HQP) with 7 items, and social network (SN) with 4 items. The scale uses a 6-point rating scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree), with a total score of 25 to 150. The scale has been applied in the athlete population in China (0.66 to 0.76) [64]. The fit of the sample data in this study was not satisfactory. Based on the exploratory factor analysis of the data in this study, the scale structure was adjusted accordingly, with the AOE and COM dimensions merged into a single subdimension (\"Communication \u0026amp; Expectations\"). The revised scale demonstrated good fit with the sample data and exhibited strong internal consistency (α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.917).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) was used to assess the coach-athlete relationship. The CART-Q scale consists of three dimensions with 11 items: closeness dimension including \"Do you like your coach?\" (4 items), commitment dimension including \" I feel close to my coach\" (3 items), and complementarity dimension including \"When I am coached by my coach, I feel at ease\" (4 items). The scale uses a 7-point rating scale from 1 (not at all) to 7 (completely), with a total score ranging from 7 to 77. The scale was developed by Jowett \u0026amp; Ntoumanis [47], and it has been well-applied in the Chinese athlete population [65]. Exploratory factor analysis of the study data revealed cross-loadings in items 2\u0026ndash;6, prompting a realignment according to Jowett's 3Cs model. The revised dimensions were organized as follows: Closeness (items 1, 7, 10), Commitment (items 2\u0026ndash;6), and Complementarity (items 8\u0026ndash;11). The modified scale demonstrated excellent structural validity (α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.974) after data fitting.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) was used to assess athlete burnout [28]. It consists of 15 items in three dimensions: physical/emotional exhaustion dimension (5 items), reduced sense of achievement dimension (5 items), and sport devaluation dimension (5 items). Higher scores on each dimension and the total score indicate higher levels of athlete burnout (items 1 and 14 are reverse scored). The scale uses a Likert 5-point rating system from 0 (never) to 4 (always). The ABQ has good construct validity and reliability in Chinese athletes (Gustafsson, et al., 2007). After data fitting for this study, items 1 and 14 were deleted, and the new dimensions were dimension one (items 2 and 4), dimension two (items 5\u0026ndash;13), and dimension three (items 15 and 16). The internal consistency of the new ABQ scale was good (α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.923).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.3. Data Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe data were analyzed using IBM SPSS v26 software for descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and Amos 26.0 software for structural equation modeling to verify the fit of the scales and the influence of TDEQ and CARTQ as mediating variables. Maximum likelihood estimation was used to calculate the estimates. According to Hooper's recommendation, each structural equation model's fit indices were: comparative fit index (CFI)\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.9, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI)\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.9, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.08, with 1\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;X2/df\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;3 being acceptable [66]. The indirect effects in the Amos analysis were tested using bias-corrected bootstrap resampling with 2000 bootstrap samples. The confidence intervals were calculated at the 95% level, and missing data points were estimated using the sample mean. Since the study analyzed self-report scale data, to avoid the potential for common method bias, Harman's single-factor test was conducted on the data from all the APQS, TDEQ, CARTQ, and ABQ scales to test for common method bias. The unrotated exploratory factor analysis of the data extracted 9 factors with eigenvalues greater than 1, with the first factor explaining 27.5% of the variance, which is less than the 40% threshold for serious common method bias, indicating that the data collected in this study did not suffer from severe common method bias.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows that the total sample of athletes consisted of 320 individuals, with 190 males (59.3%) and 130 females (40.7%). Significant intergroup differences were found in age, height, weight, and BMI after gender stratification. In terms of athletic levels, significant differences were found in age, height, and weight, but no significant differences were observed in BMI.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBasic Information of the Athlete Sample\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"11\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c11\" colnum=\"11\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll(320)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale(190)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale(130)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eT\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eInt.Mas.(7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMas(82)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiv.I(152)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiv.II(65)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiv.III(14)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eF\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAge\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" 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colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e71.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e65.2\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;13.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e65.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.1*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBMI\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.50**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAPSQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;8.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.6**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;8.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTDEQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;21.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e65.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;20.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e61.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;22.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e66.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;16.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e62.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;21.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e62.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;21.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e67.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;20.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e59.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;16.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.79\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCARTQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e64.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;14.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e65.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.4\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;14.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e64.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e61.4\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e64.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68.4\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;14.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e66.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.16\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eABQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.2\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;8.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.2\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote\u003c/em\u003e: APSQ: Athlete Psychological strain Questionnaire; TDEQ: Talent Development Environment Questionnaire; CARTQ: Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire; ABQ: Athlete Burnout Questionnaire; Int. Mas.: International Master Level; Mas.: Master level; Div I: Division I level; Div II: Division II level; Div III: Division III level; *P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05; **P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe APSQ showed significant differences between male and female athletes, with female athletes scoring significantly higher than male athletes. No significant gender differences were found in the other three indicators. One-way ANOVA did not reveal significant differences in the four indicators across athletic levels. However, pairwise comparisons showed a significant difference between Division II level and Master level athletes. Specifically, Master level athletes scored significantly higher on APSQ but significantly lower on CARTQ compared to Division II level athletes. No significant differences in the indicators were found between other groups.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted on the APSQ, TDEQ, CARTQ, and ABQ scales, resulting in the maintenance of three subscales for the APSQ, adaptation of four subscales for the TDEQ, adaptation of three new subscales for the CARTQ, and adaptation of three new subscales for the ABQ. The main characteristics of these scales are shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the APSQ scale was 0.885, and the KMO sampling adequacy was 0.851; for the TDEQ scale, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.917, and the KMO sampling adequacy was 0.934; for the CARTQ scale, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.974, and the KMO sampling adequacy was 0.951; for the ABQ scale, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.923, and the KMO sampling adequacy was 0.913. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for all scales were greater than 0.80, and the KMO sampling adequacy was greater than 0.60, indicating good reliability and validity for each scale and dimension.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDescriptive statistics of four scales and their subdimensions\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eConstruct\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eKMO and Bartlett\u0026rsquo;s test\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eItems\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e%variance explained\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e%cumulative variance explained\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCronbach\u0026rsquo;s a\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAPSQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.851\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e49.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.885\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-SRD\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.778\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.842\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-PC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.772\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.848\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-EC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.500\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e84.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.822\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTDEQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.934\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e40.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e66.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.917\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-TDEQd1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.500\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e77.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.704\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-TDEQd2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.946\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.947\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-TDEQd3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.918\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e69.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.926\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-TDEQd4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.832\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e77.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.900\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCARTQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.951\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e79.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e79.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.974\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-CARTQd1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.756\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e88.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.932\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-CARTQd2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.901\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e85.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.954\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-CARTQd3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.769\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e88.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.936\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eABQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.913\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e52.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e70.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.923\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-ABQd1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.500\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e79.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.742\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-ABQd2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.640\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e69.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.773\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-ABQd3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.915\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.917\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe correlation between the scores of APSQ, TDEQ, CARTQ, and ABQ was analyzed. As shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, APSQ was significantly positively correlated with ABQ (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.45, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), but negatively correlated with the TDEQ (r = -0.23, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) and CARTQ (r = -0.19, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). The TDEQ (r = -0.29, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) and CARTQ (r = -0.26, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) were significantly negatively correlated with ABQ. Except for ABQ-d1, which was not significantly correlated with other dimensions, the correlations were relatively significant. Among them, the total score of APSQ and its three dimensions were most strongly correlated with the total score and dimensions of ABQ.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe relationship between APSQ, TDEQ, CARTQ and ABQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"18\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c11\" colnum=\"11\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c12\" colnum=\"12\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c13\" colnum=\"13\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c14\" colnum=\"14\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c15\" colnum=\"15\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c16\" colnum=\"16\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c17\" colnum=\"17\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c18\" colnum=\"18\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c16\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c17\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c18\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.SRD\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c16\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c17\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c18\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.PC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.64**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c16\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c17\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c18\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.EC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.44**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" 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align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.16**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.34**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.46**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.16**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.36**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.49**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.84**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.87**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c16\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c17\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c18\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.CARTQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.20**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.12*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.15**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.19**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.39**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.52**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.18**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.42**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.56**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.95**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.98**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.94**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c16\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c17\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c18\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.ABQ-d1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.24**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.31**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.28**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.24**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c16\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c17\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c18\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.ABQ-d2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.27**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.23**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.22**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.14*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.30**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.08\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.22**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.14*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.20**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.18**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.19**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.45**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c16\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c17\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c18\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16.ABQ-d3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.49**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.41**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.27**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.50**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.13*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.19**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.35**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.22**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.31**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.29**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.28**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.24**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.28**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.58**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c16\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.65**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c17\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c18\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e17.ABQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.45**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.36**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.26**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.45**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.12*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.17**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.36**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.17**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.29**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.26**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.25**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.22**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.26**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.69**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c16\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.80**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c17\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.97**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c18\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStructural equation modeling was conducted using Amos plug-in, with TDEQ, CART-Q, APSQ, and ABQ as latent variables, and all variables' sub-dimensions were imported. The structural equation model is shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e, which includes four variables and their structural relationships. APSQ includes three indicators: self-regulation difficulties, performance concerns, and externalized coping. Talent development environment includes four dimensions: TDEQd1, TDEQd2, and SN. Coach-athlete relationship includes three dimensions: closeness, commitment, and complementarity. Athlete Burnout includes three subdimensions: PEE, RSA, and SD.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter adding the direction of the influence paths among the variables in the structural equation modelling, it was found that none of the effects of TDEQ on ABQ was significant, The effects of APSQ to ABQ (β=0.136, P\u0026lt;0.01), APSQ to TDEQ (β=-0.153, P\u0026lt;0.01), TDEQ to CARTQ (β= 1.340, p\u0026lt;0.01) and CARTQ to ABQ (β=-0.034, p\u0026lt;0.01) path coefficients were statistically significant, and after deleting the two directions that were not significant, the fit results were: x²=139.681, df=49, p=0.000, x2/df=2.851, SRMR=0.0485, RMSEA= 0.076, CFI=0.960, GFI=0.929. CARTQ mediated TDE's effect on burnout (β\u0026lt;sub\u0026gt;indirect\u0026lt;/sub\u0026gt;=-0.095, 95% CI [-0.167, -0.044], p\u0026lt;0.01), \u0026nbsp;while the direct TDEQ on burnout path was nonsignificant (β=0.041, p=0.312). \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAPSQ retained a direct positive effect on burnout (β=0.463, p\u0026lt;0.001).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter adding the direction of the influence paths among the variables in the structural equation modelling, it was found that none of the effects of TDEQ on ABQ was significant, The effects of APSQ to ABQ (\u0026beta;=0.136, P\u0026lt;0.01), APSQ to TDEQ (\u0026beta;=-0.153, P\u0026lt;0.01), TDEQ to CARTQ (\u0026beta;= 1.340, p\u0026lt;0.01) and CARTQ to ABQ (\u0026beta;=-0.034, p\u0026lt;0.01) path coefficients were statistically significant, and after deleting the two directions that were not significant, the fit results were: x\u0026sup2;=139.681, df=49, p=0.000, x2/df=2.851, SRMR=0.0485, RMSEA= 0.076, CFI=0.960, GFI=0.929. CARTQ mediated TDE\u0026apos;s effect on burnout (\u0026beta;\u0026lt;sub\u0026gt;indirect\u0026lt;/sub\u0026gt;=-0.095, 95% CI [-0.167, -0.044], p\u0026lt;0.01), \u0026nbsp;while the direct TDEQ on burnout path was nonsignificant (\u0026beta;=0.041, p=0.312). \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAPSQ retained a direct positive effect on burnout (\u0026beta;=0.463, p\u0026lt;0.001).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 5 shows the coefficients, standard errors, and 95% confidence intervals for the paths from APSQ to ABQ and from APSQ through TDEQ and CARTQ to ABQ. The in-direct path coefficient from APSQ through TDEQ and CARTQ to ABQ was 0.024, with the total indirect effect accounting for 4.93%. The buffering (negative) effect of TDEQ and CARTQ in the total indirect effect accounted for 79.8%.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 4. Coefficients, Standard Error, Critical Ratio of Model 2\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 27px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePath\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 17px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCoefficients\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStandard Co.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStandard Error\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCritical Ratio\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 12px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eP value\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 27px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAPSQ---\u0026gt;ABQ\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 17px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.136\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.463\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.027\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.119\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 12px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e***\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 27px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAPSQ---\u0026gt;TDEQ\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 17px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.153\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.246\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.041\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.754\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 12px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e***\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 27px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTDEQ---\u0026gt;CARTQ\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 17px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.340\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.572\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.142\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.464\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 12px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e***\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 27px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCARTQ---\u0026gt;ABQ\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 17px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.034\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.167\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.010\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.313\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 12px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e***\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 5. Bootstrap Mediation Analysis with Effect Sizes\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 42px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePath\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStandard Co\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 13px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStandard Error\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 10px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eP value\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 19px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e95%CI\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLower\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUpper\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 42px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTDEQ---\u0026gt;CARTQ---\u0026gt;ABQ\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.095\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 13px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.031\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 10px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.000**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.167\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.044\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 42px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAPSQ---\u0026gt;TDEQ---\u0026gt;CARTQ---\u0026gt;ABQ\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.024\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 13px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.011\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 10px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.001*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.009\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.053\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 42px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDirect Effect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAPSQ---\u0026gt;ABQ\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.463\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 13px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.079\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 10px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.001*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.315\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.617\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 42px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal Effect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.487\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 13px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.079\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 10px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.001*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.331\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.638\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 42px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eProportion of Total Indirect Effect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.93%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 13px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 10px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote:\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eBootstrap method (n=2000) was used to analyze the reliability of the influence paths, and 95% confidence intervals of each path were found.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bootstrap analysis confirmed the significance of the indirect path (APSQ---\u0026gt;TDE---\u0026gt;CAR---\u0026gt;ABQ: \u0026beta;=0.024, 95% CI [0.009, 0.053], \u0026kappa;\u0026sup2;=0.042, small effect). The total indirect effect accounted for 4.93% of the variance in burnout, with the TDE---\u0026gt;CAR---\u0026gt;ABQ buffering effect contributing 79.8% of this indirect variance.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe purpose of this study was to explore the relationships and influence pathways between the perceived psychological strain, talent development environment, coach-athlete relationship, and Athlete Burnout of competitive swimmers, and to verify the effects of the talent development environment and coach-athlete relationship in alleviating the impact of perceived psychological strain on Athlete Burnout. The results demonstrated that while perceived psychological strain exerted predominant direct effects on athletic burnout, the talent development environment (TDE) and coach-athlete relationship (CAR) collectively functioned as partial buffers through an indirect pathway.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this study, among the four indicators examined, significant gender differences were found in APSQ. Female athletes reported significantly higher levels of perceived stress compared to male athletes. This finding aligns with previous research [67], which suggests that societal norms and expectations for athletes may vary by gender. However, no significant gender differences were observed in ABQ scores in this study. In contrast\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e, some prior studies [68] reported higher ABQ scores across all dimensions for male athletes, potentially linked to male depersonalization tendencies. Other studies, such as Isoard-Gautheu et al, did not find significant gender differences [50]. Pairwise comparisons between competition levels revealed that athletes at the elite level reported significantly higher APSQ scores than second-tier athletes, while their CARTQ scores were significantly lower. This suggests that higher-level athletes perceive greater external pressure but rate their relationship with coaches as lower in quality. Overall, although one-way ANOVA results were not statistically significant, elite athletes demonstrated higher perceived stress, lower TDE self-evaluations, and lower CAR self-evaluations. Previous research has similarly identified a trend of increasing psychological pressure with higher athletic levels among Chinese athletes [69]. When considering TDE and CAR, athletes at the second-highest level appear to face greater psychological challenges, including dissatisfaction with their environment and relationships with coaches, highlighting them as a group requiring targeted attention. One potential explanation is the significant difficulty of advancing from the elite to the international level, compounded by the cumulative impact of years of training, burnout, and injuries. Additionally, dissatisfaction with resource allocation in the developmental environment may become more pronounced over time, serving as a major factor contributing to the psychological challenges faced by this group of athletes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study determined the direct influence pathway of perceived psychological strain on Athlete Burnout, which has been repeatedly confirmed in previous studies. A meta-analysis confirmed a strong correlation between strain and burnout (overall effect size of 0.505) [21]. Athlete's perceived psychological strain has a direct impact on burnout but is also considered an intermediary factor influencing burnout. For example, psychological strain mediates the effect of perfectionism on athletic burnout [1], as well as the influence of attachment types [70]. Indicators such as psychological resilience and self-concept clarity also act as mediators in the relationship between perceived stress and athletic burnout [71]. Chinese elite swimmers demonstrate medal-winning potential in world-class competitions [72]. However, China's unique training system, socioeconomic conditions, and intense competitive environment subject athletes to tremendous developmental pressures, resulting in heightened perception of external stressors and negative performance impacts [73]. Prolonged exposure to such high-intensity psychological strain may lead to severe mental health issues and, in extreme cases, premature career termination [74] - a key contributing factor to the relatively shorter competitive lifespans of Chinese athletes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePath analysis revealed that the talent development environment (TDE) did not exert significant direct effects on athletic burnout (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.11, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.213). Although significant correlations between TDE and burnout were observed [40], structural equation modeling demonstrated complete mediation through the coach-athlete relationship (CAR), with no detectable direct pathway. This pattern likely stems from China's distinctive \"cultivation-style\" talent development ecosystem [75], where the alignment between TDE's performance-oriented objectives and athletes' psychological needs follows unique theoretical dynamics.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile specialized training regimens amplify TDE's broad impacts on emotional regulation and social development [76], this very specialization may account for the null direct effects on mental health outcomes observed in our study. The Confucian cultural norm of \"reverence for teachers and respect for doctrine\" [56] establishes coaches as omnibus representatives of the external environment, leading athletes to primarily fulfill psychological needs through CAR [55] while comparatively neglecting other support resources [10]. This cultural-institutional configuration explains our counterintuitive finding regarding the non-significant association between the High-Quality Preparation (HQP) subdimension and overall TDE scores (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.09, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.12).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Path of TDE alleviating ABQ through the CAR highlights the core function of CAR. This pathway has been established in many studies. Coaches evidently play a central role in TDE and can significantly influence athletes' development, whether positively or negatively [77]. Coaches play a critical and influential role in athletes\u0026rsquo; social and psychological development [78]. According to Rossing, NN (2022), coaches serve as the engine of the athlete development environment, with coach-athlete relationships often surpassing direct interactions with other influential adults, including parents [79]. This influence is particularly pronounced for athletes in the early stages of training, where the coach is the most crucial factor in the development environment. Both high-skill and low-skill players regard the coach\u0026rsquo;s care as a vital characteristic in early development stages. The encouragement and environment provided by coaches may be key factors in attracting athletes to long-term sports participation [80].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eResearch indicates that during the transformation of objective environmental re-sources (TDE) such as training facilities and medical support into psychological benefits, coaches play a crucial \"signal converter\" role [77]. Competent coaches can effectively translate institutional support into personalized care perceived by athletes - for instance, by appropriately arranging training schedules to reflect the \"long-term development focus\" dimension of TDE. The efficiency of this conversion process ultimately determines the psychological protective benefits derived from environmental resources. Conversely, when coaches exhibit communication barriers or authoritarian tendencies, athletes may develop \"resource perception bias\" even within favorable TDE conditions, thereby diminishing the supportive effects of the environment.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFurthermore, coaches serve multiple functions as \"developmental buffers.\" According to athletic career development theory [78], coaches consistently provide comprehensive support across different growth stages, including technical development, emotional regulation, and social adaptation. This makes the Coach-Athlete Relationship (CAR) a critical system for counterbalancing the impact of daily stressors on athletes. Particularly during early developmental stages, coaches exert significantly greater influence than parents [79], and this early-formed attachment pattern continues to shape athletes' stress-coping strategies throughout their mid-to-late career phases.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFinally, the coach-athlete relationship (CAR) possesses the unique function of \"psychological resource compensation.\" Under China's sports management system of \"coach accountability,\" CAR often becomes athletes' primary (and sometimes sole) channel for obtaining psychological support. When other support elements in the TDE (such as teammate relationships or family support) are lacking, high-quality CAR can functionally compensate by providing social network support, reframing stress cognition, and developing self-regulation skills [80]. This explains why in our study, even when overall TDE evaluations were suboptimal, athletes with strong CAR maintained relatively low burnout levels.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe core findings of this study further reveal that CAR's alleviation of athletic burnout operates through a dual mechanism: serving both as a mediator of TDE's influence while also demonstrating independent protective effects. This finding aligns with longitudinal research by Lafreni\u0026egrave;re et al [81], whose tracking data showed that CAR quality predicted reductions in burnout symptoms two years later (β=-0.31, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), with this effect being more pronounced among elite athletes (ΔR\u0026sup2;=0.07). This moderating effect may stem from the \"relationship-development match\" theory pro-posed by Jowett and Wylleman [82]. China's unique \"master-disciple\" cultural tradition further enriches this mechanism - athletes' gratitude orientation toward coaches [83] activates traditional ethical obligations, thereby enhancing CAR's psychological buffering effect.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis culturally contextualized mechanism challenges the universal applicability of the JD-R model [34]. Our structural equation modeling revealed that when CAR was introduced as a mediator, TDE's direct effect on burnout (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.11) became non-significant (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.213), while the indirect effect (β=-0.28, 95%CI[-0.35,-0.21]) accounted for 72% of the total effect. This finding strongly supports the resource compensation hypothesis of COR theory [55]: in resource-constrained environments (such as specialized sports school management systems), individuals preferentially rely on the most accessible relational resource (CAR) to maintain psychological equilibrium. Ethnographic research by Si et al [56] provides cultural explanation: through the \"strict father-filial son\" interaction script, Chinese coaches simultaneously apply pressure and provide shelter - this paradoxical support precisely meets collectivist cultural expectations of authority relationships.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"5. Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eAthlete burnout reflects an imbalance between individual resources and environmental demands [84]. The results of this study point out that each dimension of CARTQ is significantly correlated with each dimension of ABQ. Moreover, CARTQ has a direct path of influence on ABQ. It indicates that the relationship between coaches and athletes has a vital role in protecting athletes' mental health and delaying the occurrence of athlete burnout. Overall, this study confirms the direct effect of athletes\u0026rsquo; perceived stress on athletic burnout and highlights the indirect pathways through which the talent development environment and CAR influence this effect. The findings demonstrate that the talent development environment does not directly impact athletic burnout but mitigates it through the coach-athlete relationship. As the immediate environment for athletes\u0026rsquo; professional growth, the talent development environment needs to be perceived by athletes to affect their performance. Among Chinese swimmers, the coach-athlete relationship constitutes almost the entirety of their perceived external environment, illustrating its critical value. The quality of the coach-athlete relationship profoundly impacts athletes\u0026rsquo; mental health. In daily training, alongside closely monitoring athletes\u0026rsquo; psychological health, comprehensive athlete support measures should emphasize the coach\u0026rsquo;s role. Compared to other stakeholders, coaches are the central force ensuring athletes\u0026rsquo; healthy development [85]. Maintaining high-quality coach-athlete relationships and meeting athletes\u0026rsquo; basic psychological needs are essential to reducing the risk of athletic burnout [74].\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"6. Limitation and Future Directions","content":"\u003cp\u003eWhile the cross-sectional design limits causal inferences, the theoretical foundations in self-determination theory (SDT) and conservation of resources (COR) theory support the plausibility of the proposed pathways. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to examine the dynamic mediation effects of coach-athlete relationships (CAR), incorporate objective measures (e.g., behavioral observations) to complement self-report data, and validate the adapted scales in independent samples. Cross-cultural comparisons between collectivist (e.g., China) and individualist (e.g., U.S.) contexts would further elucidate the cultural moderation effects observed in this study.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLei Wang, Yezhou Guo, and Zejun Yan contributed to data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Lei Wang, Yezhou Guo, and Zejun Yan contributed to the writing of the manuscript. Lei Wang, Yezhou Guo contributed to the critical revision of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript and have given consent for the submission of the final article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo funding was received for this project.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper and its Supplementary Information files.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study, approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Shanghai University of Sport (Approval No.: 102772022RT113), required all participants or their legal guardians to provide online informed consent prior to completing the questionnaire. The collected data were anonymized to ensure confidentiality. All procedures were performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGaringer LM, Chow GM, Luzzeri M. The effect of perceived stress and specialization on the relationship between perfectionism and burnout in collegiate athletes. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2018;31: 714\u0026ndash;727. doi:10.1080/10615806.2018.1521514\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eXiang C, Dong W, Kamalden TFT, Ismail N, Luo H. Structural analysis of environmental factors of sports talent development. Curr Psychol. 2024;43: 6516\u0026ndash;6532. doi:10.1007/s12144-023-04803-x\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKim S-K, Choi H. 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Sports Med. 2021;51: 1115\u0026ndash;1122. doi:10.1007/s40279-021-01437-6\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHauser L-L, Harwood CG, H\u0026ouml;ner O, O\u0026rsquo;Connor D, Wachsmuth S. Talent development environments within sports: A scoping review examining functional and dysfunctional environmental features. Int Rev Sport Exerc Psychol. 2024;17: 1105\u0026ndash;1131. doi:10.1080/1750984X.2022.2129423\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWylleman P, Lavallee D. A developmental perspective on transitions faced by athletes. Dev Sport Exerc Psychol Lifesp Perspect. 2004; 507\u0026ndash;527. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConroy DE, Coatsworth JD. Coach training as a strategy for promoting youth social development. 2006 [cited 18 Jun 2025]. doi:10.1123/tsp.20.2.128\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCoutinho P, Ribeiro J, da Silva SM, Fonseca AM, Mesquita I. The influence of parents, coaches, and peers in the long-term development of highly skilled and less skilled volleyball players. Front Psychol. 2021;12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.667542\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLafreni\u0026egrave;re M-AK, Jowett S, Vallerand RJ, Carbonneau N. Passion for coaching and the quality of the coach\u0026ndash;athlete relationship: The mediating role of coaching behaviors. Psychol Sport Exerc. 2011;12: 144\u0026ndash;152. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2010.08.002\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJowett S, Wylleman P. Interpersonal relationships in sport and exercise settings: Crossing the chasm. Psychol Sport Exerc. 2006;7: 119\u0026ndash;123. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2005.08.001\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYukhymenko-Lescroart MA, Ruser JB, Gabana NT, Gilbert JN. Assessing burnout in subgroups of athletes based on gratitude and perceived coach-athlete relationship. Psychol Rep. 2022;125: 964\u0026ndash;985. doi:10.1177/0033294121991837\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYe, L., Wang, B., Ma, H., Wu, M., Dong, L. Concept, Theoretical Models, and Research Prospects of Athlete Burnout. Journal of Chengdu Sport University. 2016;42: 83\u0026ndash;88, 95. doi:10.15942/j.jcsu.2016.01.01685. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHenriksen K. The ecology of talent development in sport: A multiple case study of successful athletic talent development environments in scandinavia. 2010 [cited 18 Jun 2025]. Available: https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/en/publications/the-ecology-of-talent-development-in-sport-a-multiple-case-study-\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-psychology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"psyo","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Psychology](http://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"BMC Psychology","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Psychological Strain, Talent Development Environment, Coach-Athlete Relationship, Athlete Burnout, Swimming Athletes","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6966955/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6966955/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eCompetitive athletes frequently experience significant training and competition pressures that may lead to athlete burnout. As crucial psychosocial support systems, the talent development environment and coach-athlete relationship potentially mitigate these psychological challenges. This study investigates how these factors interact through athletes' perceived psychological strain to influence burnout among swimmers.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring swimming competitions, online questionnaires were distributed to participants. A total of 320 questionnaires were collected. The questionnaire included athletes' basic information and general scales such as APSQ, ABQ, TDEQ, and CARTQ to assess athletes' psychological strain, burnout, talent development environment, and coach-athlete relationship. Using structural equation modeling, we examined both direct effects of psychological strain on burnout and the potential mediating pathways involving talent development environment and coach-athlete relationship.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResult\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe analysis confirmed the direct impact of psychological strain on athlete burnout. The talent development environment did not have a direct effect on athlete burnout; however, it was found that the talent development environment, mediated by the coach-athlete relationship, negatively influenced athlete burnout, creating an indirect impact pathway. This reveals coach-athlete relationship's pivotal role as the primary mediator between environmental support and burnout reduction.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study establishes that while perceived psychological strain directly exacerbates burnout, talent development environment operates indirectly by strengthening coach-athlete relationships. For Chinese swimmers, cultivating high-quality coach relationships proves essential for transforming environmental support into effective burnout prevention. These findings underscore the need for coach development programs focusing on relationship-building strategies and early strain recognition.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"The Mediating Role of Coach-Athlete Relationship in Linking Talent Development Environment to Swimmer Burnout: A Cross-Sectional Study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-08 08:23:09","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6966955/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"231814491564504606141436167580429834841","date":"2025-10-09T14:16:45+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-10-07T08:58:47+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"103393425174896153085387601753498182440","date":"2025-09-28T06:42:06+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-09-25T08:02:24+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-07-04T06:27:09+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-06-25T10:01:02+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-06-25T10:00:24+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Psychology","date":"2025-06-24T14:38:17+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-psychology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"psyo","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Psychology](http://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"BMC Psychology","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"31ff36a8-205e-4184-b22e-9dbaa28c245f","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 8th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-08T08:23:10+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-08 08:23:09","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6966955","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6966955","identity":"rs-6966955","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}