Indirect Associations Between Perceived Coach-Athlete Relationship Quality and Mental Health Through Competitive State Self-Confidence: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Hungarian Athletes.

Mental health in athletes is shaped by both interpersonal and intrapersonal psychological resources. This study examined whether the association between athletes' perceptions of the coach-athlete relationship and emotional, psychological, and social well-being showed statistically significant indirect associations through competitive state self-confidence. A cross-sectional sample of 211 adult Hungarian athletes (149 women and 62 men; mean age = 23.39 years, SD = 3.58) completed validated Hungarian measures of the coach-athlete relationship, competitive state self-confidence, and positive mental health. Participants were recruited online by distributing the questionnaire directly to athletes and through sports clubs. Three separate single-mediator models were estimated. Athletes' perceptions of the coach-athlete relationship were positively associated with competitive state self-confidence (β = 0.41, p < 0.001), which was positively associated with emotional (β = 0.26, p < 0.001), psychological (β = 0.30, p < 0.001), and social well-being (β = 0.19, p = 0.010). Significant indirect associations through competitive state self-confidence were observed for emotional (β = 0.11, p = 0.002), psychological (β = 0.12, p < 0.001), and social well-being (β = 0.08, p = 0.016), whereas the corresponding direct associations were not statistically significant. These findings indicate that the observed associations were statistically consistent with indirect associations through competitive state self-confidence. However, the cross-sectional design does not establish temporal ordering or a causal mediating mechanism. Longitudinal and intervention-based research is needed to determine the temporal direction of these associations.