The Role of Mental Toughness in the Correlation between Competitive Anxiety and Athlete Burnout in Student-Athletes

Background: Student-athletes have diverse motivations for participating in sports. However, certain negative factors may contribute to athlete burnout, leading to withdrawal from sports. This study aimed to investigate the moderating role of mental toughness in the correlation between competitive anxiety and athlete burnout among student-athletes.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a descriptive-correlational design. The study population included all middle and high school student-athletes in Bojnurd, Iran, from April to July 2024. A total of 273 participants were selected as the sample using convenience sampling. The study used three standardized questionnaires as instruments, including the Competitive Anxiety Questionnaire, the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ), and the Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ-10). Structural equation modeling with a variance-based approach was employed to test the research hypotheses. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 23 and Smart-PLS 3.2.8.Results: Competitive anxiety was positively and significantly associated with athlete burnout (β=0.447, t=6.225, P<0.001). Mental toughness significantly moderated this correlation, attenuating the positive link between competitive anxiety and burnout in athletes with higher mental toughness levels (interaction term: β=-0.213, t=3.993, P<0.001). This indicates a buffering (protective) effect of mental toughness.Conclusions: The findings indicated that there is a direct correlation between competitive anxiety and burnout in athletes, while mental toughness plays a negative moderating role in this correlation. Given the buffering role of mental toughness, interventions aimed at enhancing mental toughness may help mitigate the adverse effects of competitive anxiety on burnout in student-athletes.