Developmental Dynamics of School and Sport Burnout From Upper Secondary School to Early Adulthood Among Student-Athletes.

Abstract

Burnout is a significant concern for student-athletes, affecting both their academic and athletic performance. This study examined the developmental dynamics of school and sport burnout among Finnish student-athletes across upper secondary school and into early adulthood. Using a structural equation modeling framework with the Cholesky decomposition method, we found that higher levels of school burnout at the beginning of upper secondary school predicted higher levels of sport burnout at later time points. School burnout in the final year of upper secondary school was found to predict higher sport burnout in early adulthood. Although no differences were observed in the development of burnout between sexes or sport types, females experienced consistently higher levels of sport burnout than males, and individual sports athletes reported more burnout than those in team sports during their final year. Early interventions targeting school burnout are essential to reducing sport burnout in transitioning student-athletes.