Joint moderating role of resilience and hope on the stress–burnout relationship in elite athletes: implications for burnout prevention

Although resilience and hope have each been linked to reduced burnout risk, no studies have examined their joint moderating role on the stress–burnout relationship in elite athletes. This study addresses this gap using the framework of the cognitive-affective model of athletic burnout. A total of 756 elite athletes completed surveys using the Perceived Stress Scale, Athlete Burnout Questionnaire, Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, and Trait Hope Scale. Data were processed and analyzed using SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 27.0. Using hierarchical linear regression and controlling for gender and age, the study found that stress contributed to an escalation in athlete burnout (β = 0.537, p < 0.001). The interaction between stress and resilience significantly weakened the positive relationship between stress and burnout (β = -0.086, p < 0.01), as did the interaction between stress and hope (β = -0.070, p < 0.01). Additionally, resilience and hope jointly moderated the stress–burnout relationship (β = -0.060, p < 0.01). Overall, perceived stress was associated with a higher risk of burnout among elite athletes. Resilience and hope are crucial protective factors that can help mitigate the negative impact of stress on burnout. However, the cross-sectional nature of the data precludes causal inference among the observed variables. Future research should expand on existing theories and empirical evidence by using longitudinal samples to investigate causal relationships.