A longitudinal examination of inclusive leadership and athlete burnout: the roles of psychological safety and extraversion

Research question: In recent years, inclusive leadership has garnered considerable attention in business and educational domains, yet related research in sport contexts remains relatively limited. This study examines the reciprocal relationship between inclusive leadership and athlete burnout at the within-person level, the mediating role of psychological safety, and the moderating role of athletes’ extraversion.Research methods: Based on three-wave longitudinal data collected over one year, this study employed Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models (RI-CLPM) and Linear Mixed Models (LMM) to examine the relationship between perceived inclusive leadership and burnout among 397 athletes (Mage = 20.46, SD = 0.97).Results and Findings: The findings revealed a significant negative reciprocal predictive relationship between inclusive leadership and athlete burnout. Inclusive leadership could indirectly reduce athletes’ burnout levels by enhancing their psychological safety. Additionally, extraversion moderated the relationship between inclusive leadership and psychological safety, with the facilitative effect of inclusive leadership on psychological safety being significantly stronger for athletes with lower levels of extraversion.Implications: This study reveals the critical role of coaches’ inclusive leadership in alleviating athlete burnout. It offer empirical guidance for sport organizations and governing bodies to embed inclusive leadership within coaching development systems, strengthen athlete welfare governance, and adopt differentiated management approaches that support talent retention.