When extra-role becomes expected: organizational citizenship behaviour as a boundary condition in the coach–athlete interaction–burnout link

• Acelya Telli ^[2] ; Serdar Bozkurt ^[1]
  1. [1] Yıldız Technical University

     Yıldız Technical University

     Turquía

     
  2. [2] Istanbul Esenyurt University
• Localización: Journal of Human Sport and Exercise: JHSE, ISSN-e 1988-5202, Vol. 21, Nº. 4, 2026, págs. 1380-1394
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen

  • Coach–athlete interaction represents a central relational resource in team sports and is closely linked to athletes’ motivation, psychological well-being, and sustained engagement. Yet, athletes often operate in climates where ‘going above and beyond’ for the team can be experienced not only as a voluntary contribution but also as an implicit expectation. Building on Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) Theory and research on organizational citizenship behaviour in sport (OCB-S), this study examines (a) whether higher-quality coach–athlete interaction is associated with lower athlete burnout, and (b) whether athletes’ OCB functions as a boundary condition in this relationship. Survey data were collected from 250 adult athletes participating in team sports in Türkiye. Using PLS-SEM, the results showed that higher-quality coach–athlete interaction was negatively associated with athlete burnout. Moreover, OCB strengthened the negative association between coach–athlete interaction and burnout, such that the relationship was stronger at higher levels of OCB. These findings suggest that higher-quality coach–athlete interaction is associated with lower athlete burnout, particularly when athletes’ extra-role involvement remains meaningful and self-endorsed rather than merely compliant with team norms.