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Exploring relationships between identities, dual career competency, and burnout among young talented athletes

BMC Psychology volume 13, Article number: 190 (2025) Cite this article

Abstract

This study examined (a) the relationships between school burnout and sport burnout among young talented athletes, (b) the effects of academic and athletic identities on both school and sport burnout, and (c) whether any effects were mediated or moderated by dual career (DC) competency. A total of 302 young talented athletes (Mage=14.86, SD = 2.18) completed the athletic and academic identity scale, school burnout inventory, sport burnout inventory-DC, and DC competency questionnaire for athletes, to assess the factors above. The results showed that school and sport burnout had high positive correlations. Academic identity had a negative direct effect on school burnout, and athletic identity negatively affected sport burnout. The relationships between academic and athletic identities and school and sport burnout were mediated by DC competency, with no moderating effect observed. These findings aid our understanding of the development of burnout and provide some inspiration for practitioners to prevent and decrease burnout from school and sports among young talented athletes.

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Introduction

Burnout development is considered to be related to stress in a specific context. School burnout is a school-related stress disorder [1, 2], including school-related exhaustion, cynicism, and feelings of inadequacy [3]. Similarly, sport burnout is related to the sports context [4], encompassing exhaustion in sports, cynicism toward the meaning of sports, and a sense of inadequacy in sport [5]. Athletes have been shown to report sport and school burnout since the beginning of upper secondary school [6]. Moreover, junior athletes are usually in situations of stress and burnout [7, 8], resulting in early retirement and dropping out of school [9, 10]. Therefore, an important goal for sports psychology researchers and practitioners is to understand how to alleviate school and sport burnout among young talented athletes.

Burnout among young talented athletes

In previous studies, the development of burnout was considered to be related to the stress of a specific environment. For young talented athletes, the cognitive-affective model developed by Smith [4] mentioned that the development of athletes’ burnout represents complex interactions between environmental and personal characteristics. In the first stage, individuals experienced situational demands such as high expectations or training overload. Subsequently, a cognitive assessment of the situation took place for the second stage. If individuals perceived the situation as threatening due to situational demands exceeding available resources, a third stage followed, in which negative physiological reactions (e.g., stress) were generated. In the fourth stage, individuals developed negative emotional, psychological, and even physical feedback about the activities in which they felt burned out. Furthermore, the cognitive-affective model was extended to the academic and athletic contexts of young athletes to investigate both school and sport burnout [11]. Consequently, both types of burnout—school and sport burnout—arise as stress-related consequences when available resources fail to meet situational demands though occurring within distinct contexts.

Considering the necessity of integrating elite sports and education in athletes’ career development and transitions, the term dual career (DC) was developed to describe the conflicts and demands arising from the concurrent development of athletic, academic, and occupational pursuits among athletes [12]. DC, then was widely recognized as “a career with major foci on sport and studies or work” [13], indicating that young talented athletes usually attend athletic and academic contexts simultaneously. The dual needs of elite sports and education have exposed young talented athletes to stress. Therefore, they seem to experience more burnout symptoms than professional athletes and students. Specifically, these athletes develop school and sport burnout within the academic and athletic contexts in which they are involved. Several studies have reported multiple types of burnout in young athletes, revealing that student-athletes usually suffer from school and sport burnout simultaneously [6, 14]. Additionally, a co-developmental dynamic of school and sport burnout among student-athletes in Finnish upper secondary sport schools was revealed, with school burnout being the possible cause of sport burnout [11]. The results from student-athletes in the DC context seemed to be reasonable because both symptoms of burnout are stress-related [6], and the stress from education and elite sports of athletes seemed to be intertwined [15].

Academic and athletic identities as predictors of burnout among young talented athletes

As one of the key personality traits, academic and athletic identities may be associated with school and sport burnout among young talented athletes. Based on Ericson’s theory [16] and identity theory [17], identities are formed by linking individuals’ behaviors to social experiences, highlighting the interaction between individuals and social environments. Further studies confirmed this hypothesis, showing that commitment to academics and sports, along with external support, strengthens college athletes’ academic and athletic identities [18, 19]. Academic identity refers to identification with the student role, and athletic identity refers to identification with an athletic role [20].

Previous studies have focused on exploring the relationship between athletic identity and sport burnout among athletes, yielding inconclusive results. Some studies have suggested that a strong and unidimensional athletic identity in elite athletes may lead to sport burnout [21, 22] or that there is no significant correlation between the two [23]. However, more empirical studies support a negative correlation between the two among young athletes [24,25,26]. A further study also proposed a potential negative correlation between the two, noting a decrease in the number of young athletes experiencing high levels of sport burnout with an increase in their athletic identity [27]. These inconsistent results may stem from previous studies that focused solely on athletes’ athletic identity within the sports environment. Specifically, according to the cognitive-affective model [4], elite athletes with a strong and exclusive athletic identity might train excessively [21, 22], thereby experiencing sport burnout. However, this may differ for young talented athletes who participate in diverse environments and develop multiple identities.

It is generally accepted that young athletes play dual roles in two dominant environments (school and sport), where they develop a dual identity (i.e., academic and athletic identities) [28], rather than a strong and exclusive athletic identity. The development of athletes’ dual identities has become a concern in DC studies and is considered an essential factor in athletes’ DC pathways [13, 29]. Therefore, a dual identity in young athletes developing within DC pathways may help them combine education and sports without excessively focusing on one domain, thereby preventing the development of overly strong athletic or academic identities. Consequently, situational demands (e.g., expectations on education or sport) become more manageable. This implies that for young athletes with dual identities, an increase in athletic identity may protect against sport burnout, and similarly, an increase in academic identity may protect against school burnout. Although few studies have simultaneously linked a dual identity of young athletes with school and sport burnout, some evidence suggests that high academic and athletic identities may protect against school and sport burnout. Academic identity reflects commitment to and motivation for schoolwork [20], and athletic identity reflects an individual’s commitment to and motivation for sports and is a major determining factor in pursuing a sports career [30]. Hence, athletes who develop in DC pathways with high academic and athletic identities may exhibit heightened motivation to seek more resources to cope with situational demands, thereby achieving both academic and sports success [31] and experiencing lower levels of school and sport burnout [7, 32].

In summary, for young talented athletes who pursue DC pathways and thereby simultaneously develop academic and athletic identities, their academic identity may negatively affect school burnout, and athletic identity may negatively affect sport burnout. Additionally, considering the potential link between school and sport burnout for young athletes [11, 14], both high academic and athletic identities may protect against school and sport burnout, contributing to the attainment of superior academic and athletic achievements.

The mediating and moderating roles of DC competency

One crucial factor that may influence school and sport burnout among young talented athletes is their DC competency. Athletes face variable challenges at the academic, athletic, psychological, psychosocial, and financial levels in pursuit of successful career development and transitions [33]. To address these challenges and ensure access to available resources, specific competencies consisting of DC management, career planning, mental toughness, and social intelligence and adaptability [34] are considered crucial for athletes’ DC development [13]. DC management and career planning are two competencies for managing current and future career development in a functional way; mental toughness, and social intelligence and adaptability are used to cope with the emotions related to athletes’ efforts. DC competency has been linked to effective management of situational demands [13], and a lack of DC competency may lead young athletes to experience failure or inadequacy in academic or athletic domains [35]. Therefore, enhancing DC competency may help them better access resources and handle negative emotions and stress, thereby reducing burnout risk.

Considering the dual demands of academic and athletic aspirations for young athletes pursuing a DC pathway [36], the development of DC competency may align closely with their academic and athletic identities. To achieve greater success in one domain, they must develop the necessary DC competencies to avoid failure in the other domain [34]. Therefore, academic and athletic identities may negatively affect burnout via promoting DC competency. For example, when young athletes experience an increase in athletic identity, they tend to dedicate more time to their athletic development while simultaneously striving for academic success. Thus, they may enhance competencies such as time management (i.e., DC management) and seek environmental support (i.e., social intelligence and adaptability). Consequently, academic or athletic identity may promote DC competency, thereby negatively affecting school and sport burnout and enabling young athletes to achieve dual success. In other words, DC competency may mediate the role of identities in burnout among young athletes.

Despite the lack of empirical studies examining the moderating effect of DC competency in any population, there are indications that DC competency may moderate the relationships between identities and burnout among young talented athletes. It has been highlighted that athletes with high DC competency are more likely to achieve an optimal balance DC, attaining greater success in one domain while ensuring success in the other [36]. This is achieved by assisting them in managing dual demands and acquiring resources to meet these demands [13, 33]. For instance, when young athletes who are in the DC pathway possess high DC competency, they are likely to manage their time, emotions, and stress more effectively to meet the dual demands of sports and academics. In contrast, when young athletes have low DC competency, they may struggle to effectively combine sports and academics, leading to accumulated stress and conflicts. Consequently, the negative effects of identities on burnout may be amplified by high DC competency through facilitating better access to resources and improving coping with negative emotions, while low DC competency may weaken the effects.

The present study

Considering that few empirical studies have focused on the relationships between identities, DC competency and burnout in school and sports among young talented athletes, our first aim was to identify the correlation between school and sport burnout. Second, we investigated the relationship between two types of identities and school and sport burnout and further confirmed how identities predict burnout. Third, we examined the indirect path from identities to burnout through DC competency. Finally, the moderating effects of DC competency on the relationship between identities and burnout were examined. The hypotheses are as follows:

Hypothesis 1

There is a positive correlation between school and sport burnout.

Hypothesis 2

Academic and athletic identities can both negatively affect school burnout and sport burnout.

Hypothesis 3

Academic and athletic identities have indirect negative effects on both school burnout and sport burnout, which are mediated by DC competency.

Hypothesis 4

DC competency moderates the effects of academic and athletic identities on school burnout and sport burnout.

Method

Participants

This study was conducted in China, where elite sport schools and sport-friendly schools were established to create DC development environments. We sampled from one elite sport school and three sport-friendly schools in Shanghai, in which young athletes are recognized as talented by the General Administration of Sport of China, and are in the process of primary or secondary education. Notably, elite sport schools and sport-friendly schools in Shanghai are managed by sport and educational departments, respectively. However, both types of schools aim to develop young athletes within the DC framework by providing integrated study and sports environments, similar to those found in European contexts [37]. Regardless of whether young athletes prioritize sports, education, or a balance between the two—as summarized in the three DC pathways [38, 39]—they are required to meet rigorous academic and athletic standards in both types of schools to ensure successful career development and transition.

We clarified the study objectives, procedures, and ethical considerations (e.g., the right to withdraw, data confidentiality, and disclosures of findings) to all participants. Verbal informed consent was obtained from participants and, for those under 16 years of age, from their parents or legal guardians, to publish their anonymized information in this study. This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the ethics committee of the authors’ university (ID: H20230292I). A total of 302 participants, consisting of 182 male and 120 female talented athletes aged 10 to 19 years (Mage=14.86, SD = 2.18), completed the questionnaires. Approximately 72% of the athletes participated in team sports (e.g., basketball, volleyball, and football), and 28% participated in individual sports (e.g., gymnastics, shooting, and track and field). At the time of data collection, the highest sport level of the participants was international (12.58%), national (26.49%), and regional (60.93%), and the average number of years of athletic training was 4.72 (SD = 3.18).

Measures

Athletic and academic identity

Athletic and academic identities were measured using the Athletic and Academic Identity Scale (AAIS) developed by Yukhymenko-Lescroart [40]. The scale consists of 11 items measuring athletic identity (6 items) and academic identity (5 items). The stem for each item was “How central to your sense of who you are?” For example, “How central to your sense of being a capable student.” Participants responded on a five-point Likert scale with anchors from “1 = not central to my sense of self” to “5 = very central to my sense of self”. The structure of the AAIS was deemed acceptable for this study, χ2 (37) = 105.88 (p < 0.01), CFI = 0.96; TLI = 0.94; RMSEA = 0.08; RMSEA 90% CI = 0.06–0.09. The Cronbach’s α reliabilities for the two subscales in this study were 0.86 and 0.85, respectively.

School burnout

The School Burnout Inventory (SBI) developed by Salmela-Aro et al. [3] was used to assess the level of school burnout among young talented athletes. The SBI is a 10-item self-report inventory that contains three subscales, including exhaustion at schoolwork (4 items), cynicism toward the meaning of school (3 items), and sense of inadequacy at school (3 items). Participants were required to respond on a five-point Likert scale, with anchors ranging from “1 = strongly disagree” to “5 = strongly agree”. The SBI has shown good psychometric properties in previous studies [6, 41]. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed that the SBI has an acceptable structure in this study, χ2 (28) = 81.61 (p < 0.01); CFI = 0.97; TLI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.08; RMSEA 90% CI = 0.06–0.10. In this study, the Cronbach’s α reliabilities for the three subscales and the total scale were 0.83, 0.78, 0.81, and 0.92, respectively.

Sport burnout

Sport burnout was assessed using the 10-item Sport Burnout Inventory-Dual Career Form (SpBI-DC), which consists of three dimensions [42]. Participants were asked to respond in the DC context, including exhaustion at sport (4 items), cynicism toward the meaning of sport (3 items) and feelings of inadequacy as an athlete (3 items). All items were rated on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from “1 = strongly disagree” to “5 = strongly agree”. CFA confirmed that the SpBI-DC has an acceptable structure in this study, χ2 (29) = 75.42 (p < 0.01); CFI = 0.97; TLI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.07; RMSEA 90% CI = 0.05–0.09. In this study, the Cronbach’s α reliabilities for the three subscales and the total scale were 0.79, 0.81, 0.65, and 0.88, respectively.

DC competency

DC competency was measured using the Dual Career Competency Questionnaire for Athletes (DCCQ-A), a 29-item scale developed by De Brandt et al. [35]. The scale consists of four dimensions: DC management (10 items), career planning (5 items), emotional awareness (7 items), and social intelligence and adaptability (7 items). Participants were asked to respond on a five-point Likert scale with anchors ranging from 1 to 5 “unimportant–very important” or “very poor–very strong”. The results indicated good validity for the DCCQ-A, as demonstrated by the CFA, χ2(327) = 930.19 (p < 0.01); CFI = 0.93; TLI = 0.92; RMSEA = 0.08; RMSEA 90% CI = 0.07–0.08. In this study, the Cronbach’s α reliabilities for the four subscales and the total scale were 0.95, 0.86, 0.70, 0.90, and 0.95, respectively.

Procedure

Permission was requested from the presidents of the elite sport school and three sports-friendly schools to conduct the study on young talented athletes. Coaches of all the teams were contacted to obtain further consent and set the dates for data collection. Twenty teams were selected for the study. After informing the athletes of our aims, study purposes, and confidence in the data, the participants were asked to complete the questionnaires voluntarily and honestly in meeting rooms.

Data analysis

The data were checked for normality, missing values and outliers using preliminary data screening prior to the main statistical analysis. When the percentage of missing data was less than 5%, any method for replacing missing values was appropriate [43]. Thus, we used the mean of the respective variable to replace the missing data (< 1%). In addition, we used SPSS 22.0 to examine common method bias (CMB) using Harman’s single-factor test. The CMB in this study was 38.03%, which is less than 50%, as suggested by Podsakoff et al. [44].

Bivariate correlations were calculated for the variables of interest. A structural equation model was used to test for direct and indirect effects [45] using AMOS version 20.0. Bootstrapping, considered one of the most powerful methods [46], has been used to test direct and indirect effects. Estimates of the effects and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using 2000 bootstrap samples. There is evidence of an effect when the CI does not cross zero. Furthermore, a full mediation (FM) model, where the paths from identities to burnout were specified as zero, was included as a competing model against the partial mediation (PM) model. More specifically, the FM model made it possible to test whether the mediating effects of DC competency were significant without considering the direct effect of identities on burnout. As recommended, the goodness-of-fit of the competing models was assessed using the chi-square test of exact fit (χ2), the comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis index (TLI), the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), and the 90% confidence interval of the RMSEA [47]. Finally, the model with the lower Akaike information criterion (AIC) [48, 49] was retained.

Moderated hierarchical regression procedures were used to test for the interactive effects of DC competency, following the suggestions of Baron and Kenny [50]. First, the independent variables and potential moderators were standardized. Second, two interaction terms were computed with the multiplication of academic and athletic identities and DC competency. Although we constructed a complex model, separate univariate multiple regressions were used to test the moderating effects of DC competency on the 2 × 2 model to decrease the risk of type 2 errors Therefore, four separate hierarchical regression models were examined. The moderating effects of DC competency were indicated by a significant (p < 0.05) increase in R2 when interaction terms were entered.

Results

Descriptive analysis and bivariate correlations

The means, standard deviations, and bivariate correlations of all variables are shown in Table 1. As it showed, school and sport burnout were positively and highly correlated. Both academic and athletic identities were significantly and negatively correlated with the two types of burnout. DC competency was significantly and negatively associated with school and sport burnout, and significantly and positively associated with academic and athletic identities. Additionally, a significantly positive correlation existed between academic and athletic identities.

Table 1 Means (M), standard deviations (SD) and bivariate correlations of all variables
Full size table

The structural equation model

Findings from the PM model resulted in a good fit to the data, χ2(177) = 454.47 (p < 0.01); CFI = 0.94; TLI = 0.93; RMSEA = 0.07; RMSEA 90% CI = 0.06–0.08. The FM model, excluding the direct paths from identities to burnout, also showed a satisfactory fit to the data, χ2(181) = 491.32 (p < 0.01); CFI = 0.93; TLI = 0.92; RMSEA = 0.08; RMSEA 90% CI = 0.07–0.08. However, the PM model was preferred as it had a lower AIC (562.47) than the FM model (AIC = 591.32).

Following Bollen [51], the PM model effects were decomposed into direct, indirect and total effects. Direct effects represent the effects of the predictor variables (academic identity and athletic identity) on the outcome variables (school burnout and sport burnout) that occur independently of the mediator; indirect effects are the mediated effects; and total effects are the sum of these effects. Thus, the mediating role of DC competency was verified in the current study. As shown in Fig. 1, academic identity could directly and negatively affect school burnout and indirectly and negatively affect school burnout via DC competency. The standard indirect effect was − 0.05 (95% CI = -0.12, -0.01), the standard direct effect was − 0.31 (95% CI = -0.49, -0.14), and the standard total effect was − 0.36 (95% CI = -0.52, -0.19). There was no significant direct effect of academic identity on sport burnout, while a significant indirect effect of -0.06 (95% CI = -0.13, -0.01) was found via DC competency. When athletic identity was the independent variable, the standard total, direct, and indirect effects on school burnout were − 0.08 (95% CI = -0.24, 0.06), 0.03 (95% CI = -0.13, 0.18), and − 0.11 (95% CI = -0.21, -0.05), respectively. Athletic identity directly and negatively affected sport burnout, with a standard direct effect of -0.20 (95% CI = -0.37, -0.04). Moreover, an indirect path from athletic identity to sport burnout occurred through DC competency, with a standard indirect effect of -0.14 (95% CI = -0.24, -0.07). The standard total effect was 0.34 (95% CI = -0.51, -0.17).

Fig. 1
figure 1

The mediated effects of DC competency on the relationship between identities and burnout

Full size image

Overall, the results suggest that DC competency partially mediated the effects of academic identity on school burnout and athletic identity on sport burnout, and fully mediated the effects of academic identity on sport burnout and athletic identity on school burnout.

Hierarchical regression models

We employed a hierarchical regression model to examine whether DC competency moderates the effects of identities on burnout. As shown in Table 2, there was no significant change ΔR2, indicating that DC competency did not moderate the effects of identities on burnout.

Table 2 Moderated hierarchical regression analysis of DC competency
Full size table

Discussion

This study investigated the relationship between academic and athletic identities, DC competency, and school and sport burnout among young talented athletes. We found that academic identity can negatively affect school burnout and that athletic identity can have the same effect on sport burnout. Additionally, there were mediating effects of DC competency on the relationships between identities and burnout, while no moderating effect was observed.

As we expected (hypothesis 1) and consistent with a previous study [6], a high positive correlation between school and sport burnout was found. This finding does not prove that young athletes are experiencing both school and sport burnout, while suggesting that school and sport burnout may not occur independently. DC athletes are facing academic and athletic development and transitions at the same time [13], which means that they need to handle academic and athletic problems in parallel, leading to conflicts of time and energy between academic and athletic development. Therefore, academic demands make it difficult for young athletes to obtain sufficient time to recover and rest from schoolwork, resulting in the co-development of school and sport burnout [14]. In particular, Chinese DC athletes must meet dual standards in both education and sports to achieve career development, such as transitioning from junior high school to secondary high school and then to university, which exposes them to long-term stress from school and sports. Consequently, chronic fatigue caused by training may reduce the available resources for academic development, thus aggravating school-related exhaustion. This finding of the correlation between school burnout and sport burnout provides important insights for school policymakers, parents, and coaches on appropriate schedules and workloads to reduce the risk of burnout among young talented athletes in either domain.

As we expected (hypothesis 2), direct negative effects of academic identity on school burnout and of athletic identity on sport burnout were found in the mediating model. These findings support the negative correlation between athletic identity and sport burnout in previous studies [24,25,26,27] and further extend this understanding to the role of academic identity in school burnout among young athletes. These findings could be explained by the development of identities and burnout. Young athletes with high academic or athletic identities improve their commitment and motivation in education or sports [31, 52], aligning their behaviors with identities in specific domains [17]. For example, young athletes with high academic identity spend more time and energy on academic development and positively acquire resources to handle situational demands, thereby reducing exhaustion in schoolwork, cynicism and feelings of inadequacy. Furthermore, it has been stated that a multidimensional identity is beneficial for young athletes [53], while an exclusive athletic identity may promote sport burnout [21]. Therefore, the negative effect of athletic identity on sport burnout among young talented athletes may be due to developing a dual identity in their DC pathways. A dual identity could make the demands of a single domain more manageable, as young athletes must combine education and sport. However, hypothesis 2 was only partially supported, as academic identity did not directly predict sport burnout, nor did athletic identity directly predict school burnout. The findings may be because both identity and burnout are developed and shaped by roles within specific contexts [28]. Thus, identities may not have direct cross-domain effects on burnout.

Consistent with hypothesis 3, the effects of academic and athletic identities on school and sport burnout were all mediated by DC competency. Our findings support previous studies indicating that four DC competencies play important roles in the process of managing education and sport among young athletes [34, 35, 54]. In particular, DC competency could negatively affect both school and sport burnout. The mediating effects of DC competency may be attributed to the influence of identities on young athletes’ commitment to and motivation for academic and athletic pursuits [31, 52]. DC development for young athletes requires them to combine sports and education, ensuring that both can be developed simultaneously [54]. In China, when athletes cannot meet academic requirements, such as failing exams or skipping classes, they will be banned from athletic training. In this way, academic and athletic developments are tied together, which means that they must maintain an optimal balance in prioritizing development in one domain without neglecting the other to achieve DC success [20]. Thus, in the process of striving for optimal balance, both academic and athletic identities may indirectly affect burnout through DC competency. For instance, young athletes with a high athletic identity may engage more actively in time management, schedule planning, coping with potential failures, and seeking support from educational and sports environments to achieve greater athletic ambitions while maintaining academic development, thereby experiencing lower levels of school and sport burnout. Additionally, hypothesis 4 was rejected, as no moderating effect of DC competency was found in the moderated hierarchical regression analysis. This finding suggests that the roles of identities in burnout may remain consistent regardless of athletes’ levels of DC competency. Overall, our findings indicated that both academic and athletic identities could negatively predict school and sport burnout via DC competency among young talented athletes.

Limitations and future studies

This study examined the relationships between identities, burnout and DC competency among young talented athletes to address gaps in the literature. However, several limitations should be considered. First, our focus was on the potential paths of identities and DC competency to burnout among young talented athletes; thus, we did not investigate their burnout symptoms. Second, we cannot establish a rigorous causal relationship due to the cross-sectional design. Considering that burnout [11] and identities [28] of young talented athletes can change with the process of talent development, future studies should consider employing a longitudinal design to further clarify whether enhancing academic and athletic identities can effectively mitigate both school and sport burnout symptoms by promoting DC competency. Additionally, given that the burnout is a context-related variable [11], the relationships between identities, DC competency, and burnout may be influenced by the DC development environments in different cultural contexts, such as China’s rigid education system versus the flexible educational curricula in Europe [55]. Therefore, future studies could explore these relationships in diverse cultural contexts and varied DC development environments, contributing to the advancement of knowledge on coping with school and sport burnout among young talented athletes.

Conclusion

This study contributes to the current literature on burnout by addressing new knowledge about its predictors, aiming to provide new insights for helping young talented athletes prevent and reduce school and sport burnout. First, school burnout has a high positive correlation with sport burnout. Second, academic and athletic identities negatively predict school and sport burnout, respectively. Third, academic and athletic identities indirectly predict school and sport burnout through the mediating effects of DC competency. These findings highlight the importance of dual identities (i.e., academic and athletic identities) in predicting school and sport burnout, with DC competency serving as a mediator in the relationships between identities and burnout among young talented athletes. These findings also provide crucial implications for developing effective support for practitioners working with young talented athletes.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Abbreviations

DC:

Dual Career

AAIS:

Academic and Athletic Identity Scale

SBI:

School Burnout Inventory

SpBI-DC:

Sport Burnout Inventory for Dual Career

DCCQ-A:

Dual Career Competency Questionnaire for Athletes

CMB:

Common Method Bias

CI:

Confidence Interval

FM:

Full Mediation

PM:

Patial Mediation

CFI:

Comparative Fit Index

TLI:

Tucker-Lewis Index

RMSEA:

Root Mean Square Error of Approximation

AIC:

Akaike Information Criterion

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the participants for their time and contributions to this study and the reviewers for their critical feedback.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Xianyong Jiang & Kun Wang

  2. School of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Xianyong Jiang

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Xianyong Jiang and Kun Wang contributed to the conception and methodology of this study. Xianyong Jiang conducted the formal analysis and investigation and wrote the main manuscript text. Kun Wang reviewed and edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kun Wang.

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This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (ID: H20230292I). Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study. For participants under the age of 16, informed consent was also obtained from their parents or legal guardians.

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Jiang, X., Wang, K. Exploring relationships between identities, dual career competency, and burnout among young talented athletes. BMC Psychol 13, 190 (2025). https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1186/s40359-024-02341-0

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BMC Psychology

ISSN: 2050-7283

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