{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,14]],"date-time":"2026-02-14T03:58:42Z","timestamp":1771041522852,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,24]],"date-time":"2025-01-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1737676800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"FCT","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UID\/01662\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UID\/01662\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"FCT","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UI\/BD\/154777\/2023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UI\/BD\/154777\/2023"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"national funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UID\/01662\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UID\/01662\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"national funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UI\/BD\/154777\/2023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UI\/BD\/154777\/2023"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Athletes are particularly vulnerable to developing eating disorders, which can negatively impact both health and athletic performance. The coach\u2013athlete relationship plays a central role in athletes\u2019 development and well-being. However, little is known about how coaches\u2019 leadership styles relate to athletes\u2019 self-criticism and disordered eating. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the relationship between athletes\u2019 perceptions of their coach\u2019s leadership style and their own self-criticism and disordered eating. Methods: A total of 150 athletes from team ball sports, aged 18 to 43 years (M = 25.0, SD = 6.0), completed self-report measures. Results: 27.3% of the participants were at heightened risk of developing eating disorders, and 38.7% lacked access to nutritional or psychological support within their clubs. Significant positive associations were found between coaches\u2019 negative feedback style and athletes\u2019 self-criticism and disordered eating, and between passive management style and athletes\u2019 self-criticism and disordered eating. Moreover, athletes\u2019 self-criticism fully mediated the relationship between these leadership styles and athletes\u2019 disordered eating. Additionally, coaches\u2019 vision, inspiration, and individualization styles were related to decreased self-criticism in athletes. Conclusions: Coaches\u2019 leadership styles are significantly related to athletes\u2019 psychological and nutritional health. This research has important implications for promoting healthier practices in sports settings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17030427","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,24]],"date-time":"2025-01-24T07:33:11Z","timestamp":1737703991000},"page":"427","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["The Mediating Role of Self-Criticism in the Relationship Between Coaches\u2019 Leadership Styles and Disordered Eating in Athletes"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-5474-3280","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carol","family":"Coelho","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychology Research Center (CIPsi), School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Diane","family":"Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychology Research Center (CIPsi), School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Catarina","family":"Branco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychology Research Center (CIPsi), School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Ant\u00f3nio Rui","family":"Gomes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychology Research Center (CIPsi), School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1982-5796","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eva","family":"Concei\u00e7\u00e3o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4277-9203","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paulo P. P.","family":"Machado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychology Research Center (CIPsi), School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1047-1503","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"S\u00f3nia","family":"Gon\u00e7alves","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychology Research Center (CIPsi), School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Cash, T. (2012). Body image and sports\/athletics. Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance, Academic Press."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fatt, S.J., George, E., Hay, P., Jeacocke, N., Gotkiewicz, E., and Mitchison, D. (2024). An umbrella review of body image concerns, disordered eating, and eating disorders in elite athletes. J. Clin. 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