The association between perceived coach identity leadership and athlete engagement: The chain mediating role of team communication and team resilience

This study aims to explore the association between perceived coach identity leadership and athlete engagement, as well as the mediating roles of team communication and team resilience in this process. Using a stratified random sampling method, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 672 athletes, utilizing the Identity Leadership Scale, the Scale for Effective Communication in Team Sports, the Characteristics of Resilience in Sports Teams Inventory, and the Athlete Engagement Scale. The average age of the participants was 20.73 years, with an average of 6.81 years of athletic experience, and all participants were athletes at the second-tier competitive level or above. Through correlational analysis and regression analysis of the collected valid data, the results revealed significant positive correlations between coaches’ identity leadership, team communication, team resilience, and athlete engagement. Additionally, team communication and team resilience played both independent partial mediating roles and chain mediating roles between coaches’ identity leadership and athlete engagement. These findings not only enrich social identity theory but also emphasize the important role of identity leadership in promoting team resources and athlete psychological development, highlighting the close connection between team resources and athlete psychology.