Exploring the impact of psychological capital and work–family conflict on stress regulation and success in competitive athletes

The psychological well-being of athletes is influenced by multiple interconnected factors that can significantly impact their performance outcomes. This study examined the predictive relationships between psychological capital, work-family conflict, and perceived stress in determining athletic success. We investigated how these psychological constructs influence performance outcomes among professional athletes. The combined sample comprised 240 professional athletes who completed validated measures of psychological capital, work-family conflict, and perceived stress. Discriminant analysis was employed to identify which variables most effectively differentiated between successful and less successful athletes. Results revealed that psychological capital dimensions and work-family conflict significantly predicted athletic performance outcomes. Stepwise discriminant analysis identified optimism, self-efficacy, hope, work-family conflict, and resilience as the strongest predictors of athletic success. The findings demonstrate that work-family conflict serves as a critical mediating factor between psychological capital and athletic performance, with increased conflict associated with elevated stress levels and diminished psychological resources. These results highlight the importance of considering athletes' broader life context when examining performance predictors. The study contributes to understanding how personal psychological resources interact with external stressors in the athletic domain, suggesting that interventions addressing both individual psychological capital and work-family balance may be most effective in supporting athletic achievement.