Background <p>Bipolar disorder (BD) causes ongoing stress for family caregivers due to its recurring nature. Resilience can reduce stress but may also lead to excessive coping efforts, causing chronic strain. Coping styles, reflecting resilience, can both mitigate immediate stress and worsen long-term fatigue. Current research overlooks how BD-specific factors like aggression influence the “resilience-coping-burden” relationship. This study examines how coping styles mediate these effects to guide targeted interventions.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted among 176 family caregivers of hospitalized bipolar disorder patients from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University in China using a random sampling method. Data were collected through validated scales, including the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and Zarit Burden Interview. Analysis involved SPSS and PROCESS Model 4 to assess mediation effects.</p> Results <p>The study revealed that psychological resilience positively influenced coping styles (β = 0.223) and negatively influenced caregiver burden (β=-0.189). However, coping styles were positively associated with caregiver burden (β = 0.351), demonstrating a mediating effect. The total effect of psychological resilience on caregiver burden, mediated by coping styles, was − 0.110.</p> Conclusions <p>Psychological resilience exerts dual effects on burden through coping styles - directly reducing burden while potentially increasing chronic stress via excessive active coping. Clinical interventions should integrate resilience enhancement with adaptive coping strategies.</p> Trial registration <p>Clinical trial number: not applicable.</p>