Associations among coach-athlete relationships, psychological safety, and psychological well-being in college athletes

The coach-athlete relationship influences an athlete's psychological well-being; however, little is known about the psychological mechanisms involved in the relationship between these variables. This study emphasized the mediating role of psychological safety in the relationship between the coach-athlete relationship and athletes' psychological well-being. Participants were 372 college athletes from five Chinese universities, who completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire in which they assessed their coach-athlete relationship, psychological safety, and psychological well-being. Results of structural equation modeling indicated there was a positive relationship between a positive coach-athlete relationship and an athlete's psychological well-being, and that psychological safety partially mediated this relationship. This study extends the conclusions of prior research and provides new insights into how the coach-athlete relationship affects athletes' psychological well-being.