Author(s): MALLIA, L., METIN, A.N., VITALUCCI, D., GALLI, F., DE MARIA, A., ZELLI, A., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF FORO ITALICO, Country: ITALY, Abstract-ID: 1957

Objectives
Psychological Resilience (PR) represents a key psychological resource enabling athletes to adapt effectively to sport-specific demands. Given its multidimensional nature, PR should be assessed using sport-specific measures. This research integrates findings from two complementary studies aimed at a) evaluating the psychometric properties of the five-factor RESilience Qualities In Sport (RESIST) scale and exploring its’ causal relationships with Athletes’ Burnout (AB); and b) examining the (in)direct effects of Resilience upon athletes’ burnout (AB), through the mediating effect of Performance Failure (PF), and of two dimensions of Sport Commitment (i.e., Sport Constrained Commitment SCC, and Sport Enthusiastic Commitment- SEC).
Method
In the first longitudinal study, Italian athletes completed the RESIST scale, the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire, across three time points over a three-months period (T1: n= 282, 68.1 % males, Mage = 22.2, SD = 4.06 y.o.; T2: n=202; T3: n= 187).
The second cross-sectional study involved 386 Italian athletes (62,18% males; Mage = 21.5, SD = 5.08 y.o.) filled out a questionnaire including RESIST scale and validated measures of AB, PF, SCC and SEC.
Method
Study1: Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported the five-factor structure of the RESIST scale, showing adequate model fit at T1 (CFI = .942, TLI = .929, RMSEA = .06, SRMR = .05). Test–retest reliability between T1 and T2 was acceptable across all resilience dimensions (r = .603–.719). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) results revealed that PR negatively predicted AB (β = −.30; p=.016) over three months, whereas AB not significantly predicted PR across the same time frame (β =-06; p=.44).
Study 2: SEM on the hypothesized model showed acceptable fit (CFI = .90, TLI = .89, SRMR = .07). PR positively predicted EC (β = .51, p < .001) and negatively predicted PF (β = −.40, p < .001) but was not directly associated with AB or constrained commitment (p > .05). In contrast, CC was positively associated with AB (β = .38, p < .001), whereas EC was negatively associated with AB (β = −.43, p < .001), supporting an indirect pathway between PR and AB.
Conclusion
Overall, these findings provide robust psychometric support for conceptualizing PR as a multidimensional construct in sport and highlight its direct and indirect role in athletes’ burnout and psychological functioning over time.