Burnout in Youth Sports

Abstract

Burnout is a condition of psychological, emotional, and sometimes physical withdrawal from sport participation as a result of chronic stress. Although youth sports have not been found to be as anxiety provoking as once feared, a significant number of young athletes suffer from burnout each year. Unfortunately, a review of the literature indicates that sport scientists have given little attention to burnout. The most significant advance in the study of burnout has been Smith's cognitive-affective model of athletic burnout, which he adapted from an earlier cognitive-affective model of stress. The model, which consists of situational, cognitive appraisal, physiological-response, and behavioral components, is described in detail, and some directions for future research are outlined. Finally, suggestions for preventing and treating burnout in young athletes are presented.