Sports psychology study on young athletes: how burnout, anxiety, and wellbeing shape distinct athlete profiles

During adolescence, participation in sports usually enhances physical and psychological health. However, high training workloads, as well as combing learning and athletic demands can negatively affect psychological wellbeing and increase the risk of burnout and other psychological problems. This may manifest as physical consequences (such as injuries), mental health difficulties (such as increased anxiety), and also as a decline in performance and motivation.

Acting Asst. Mg. phych. Beate Evelīna Dišlere, doctoral student of the RSU Department of Health Psychology and Paedagogy, is involved in the sub-research of the National Research Programme VPP-IZM-Sports-2023/1-0001 “Physical and Mental Health Risks in Children’s and Youth Sports” which includes athletes aged 12–18 from various sports disciplines. Data are collected throughout the entire competitive season.

As part of this study, Mg. psych. Beate Evelīna Dišlere is also collecting data for her doctoral thesis “Changes in Burnout, Anxiety, and Wellbeing Among Adolescent Athletes During the Competition Season.” She shares her initial findings from the obtained data:

‘In our study, approximately one in five young athletes showed increased risk indicators for burnout and competition anxiety already at the beginning of the season. This suggests that psychological risks in youth sports are not uncommon and are evident already at the beginning of the season, highlighting the importance to address them in a timely manner. Girls and athletes in individual sports are more likely to fall into the risk group, which may be explained by higher levels of individual responsibility and performance pressure, greater emotional demands, and more limited opportunities for social support in the daily training process.’

By analysing athletes' burnout, competition anxiety, and psychological wellbeing indicators at the beginning of the competition season, three distinct psychological profiles of young athletes were identified:

• High-risk profile – relatively lower psychological wellbeing, higher levels of physical and emotional fatigue, a more pronounced tendency to sports devaluation, lower sense of performance, and higher cognitive and somatic anxiety indicators compared to the other profiles. This profile is more frequently represented by girls and athletes in individual sports;
• Low-risk profile – relatively higher psychological wellbeing, higher self-confidence level and lower burnout and anxiety indicators compared to other profiles. This profile is more common among boys and team sport athletes;
• Average profile – indicators are between the two above profiles.

An additional analysis, in which data from the beginning and middle of the season were compared, showed that emotional and physical exhaustion, as well as the loss of interest in sports increase over the course of the season. It is important to emphasise that athletes with higher psychological wellbeing at the start of the season are more protected against the risk of burnout. This highlights the need to pay timely attention to the wellbeing of young athletes, not just to their performance outcomes.

These results call for greater attention to be paid to young people's wellbeing in sport, balance of workload, and timely support. Athletes are not all the same – each has different needs and resources. That is why a profile-based approach helps planning support more accurately and identify risk situations in due time.

The study continues by analysing changes throughout the season in order to understand the risks more accurately and promote the healthy development of athletes and sustainable athletic performance.