Athlete burnout: Causes, consequences, and prevention strategies

Abstract

Athlete burnout, as a psychological syndrome, includes three components: emotional and physical exhaustion, decreased sense of personal accomplishment, and sport devaluation. A systematic literature review synthesizing peer-reviewed studies published from 2015 to 2026 assigns a primary focus to the drivers, outcomes, and prevention of athlete burnout. A systematic search of Google Scholar produced 20 articles, including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and empirical studies. The review also found the presence of several contributing factors to athlete burnout, including chronic stress, perfectionism, high need for autonomy, poor coach–athlete relationships, and identity foreclosure. The consequences are depression, anxiety, low performance, and sports dropout. Even more alarming, cross-temporal meta-analytic data suggest a pronounced increase in burnout symptoms over the last 20 years. Empirically supported prevention strategies include cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based interventions, autonomy-supportive coaching, enhancing social support, and diversifying identity. The restructured Athlete Burnout Questionnaire and its structured version 16 remain the gold standard measurement tools. The cognitive-affective model of burnout (CA model), self-determination theory (SDT), and integrated models also theoretically explain the development of burnout. Such reviews emphasize the need for evidence-based prevention and intervention programs to reduce athlete burnout and its negative consequences for athlete well-being and performance.