Perceived social support, perceived stress, and athlete burnout among competitive athletes: a mediation model

Background Perceived social support is an important psychosocial resource for competitive athletes, while perceived stress is closely associated with athlete burnout. Drawing on conservation of resources theory and the cognitive-transactional model of stress, this study examines the relationships among perceived social support, perceived stress, and athlete burnout. Objectives This study aims to investigate the associations among perceived social support, perceived stress, and athlete burnout in competitive athletes, with particular attention to the statistical mediating role of perceived stress. Results Using cluster sampling, questionnaire data were collected from 252 competitive athletes across various sports, including track and field, swimming, and football. The results showed that perceived social support was negatively correlated with perceived stress ( r = -0.478, p < 0.01) and athlete burnout ( r = -0.282, p < 0.01), whereas perceived stress was positively correlated with athlete burnout ( r = 0.421, p < 0.01). Mediation analysis revealed a significant indirect association between perceived social support and athlete burnout through perceived stress ( B = -0.161, 95% CI [-0.240, -0.093]). The direct association was not statistically significant after accounting for perceived stress ( B = -0.095, p = 0.109). Conclusion Perceived social support is associated with lower levels of athlete burnout, both through its overall negative association with burnout and through a significant statistical indirect pathway involving perceived stress. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening athletes’ social support systems and addressing perceived stress in competitive sports settings. Given the cross-sectional design, the findings should be interpreted as associations rather than evidence of causal mediation.