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Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Studies

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ArticleOpen Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jpbs.2025.06.008

The Influence of Coach Psychological Support on the Cohesion of Professional Athlete Teams in Xi’an: The Mediating Role of Sports Motivation

Yantong Liu*, Cheryl Phee

Malaysia University of Science and Technology (MUST), Petaling Jaya 47810, Selangor, Malaysia.

*Corresponding author: Yantong Liu

Published: July 25,2025

Abstract

Focusing on a group of professional athletes in Xi’an City, this study aims to deeply explore the impact of coaches’ psychological support on team cohesion and further analyze the mediating role played by sports motivation in this relationship. The research team first conducted a comprehensive and detailed survey on the current situation of professional athletes in Xi’an, and collected a large amount of data on athletes’ psychological status, team interactions, and coaches’ supportive styles. Subsequently, advanced statistical methods were used to analyze the collected data in depth. The results of the study showed that coaches’ psychological support had a significant positive effect on team cohesion, i.e., coaches who gave more psychological care and support to athletes could effectively enhance team cohesion. It was also found that sport motivation played a partial mediating role between coaches’ psychological support and team cohesion. This means that coaches’ psychological support not only directly affects team cohesion, but also indirectly promotes team cohesion by stimulating athletes’ sport motivation. The results of this study provide a solid theoretical basis and practical strategy for enhancing the team cohesion of professional athletes in Xi’an, which is an important reference value for optimizing the management of sports teams.

Keywords

Coach psychological support; Team cohesion; Sports motivation; Mediation

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How to cite this paper

The Influence of Coach Psychological Support on the Cohesion of Professional Athlete Teams in Xi’an: The Mediating Role of Sports Motivation

How to cite this paper: Yantong Liu, Cheryl Phee. (2025). The Influence of Coach Psychological Support on the Cohesion of Professional Athlete Teams in Xi’an: The Mediating Role of Sports Motivation. Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Studies1(1), 45-49.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jpbs.2025.06.008