Kaden Jagoe, Karl Erickson

Organized sports plays an important role in young people’s physical, social, and emotional development. However, the push towards early specialization has resulted in an increase of negative stressors, including excessive training demands, overscheduling, increased parental pressure, negative coaching behaviors, social isolation, and bullying. As a result, young athletes may experience burnout, potentially leading to decreased enjoyment and eventual withdrawal from sport. One potential protective factor that remains underexplored is self-complexity, or the degree to which individuals personally define themselves through multiple roles and identities. Youth who identify only as athletes may be more vulnerable to stress, while those with diverse sources of self-worth may better cope with challenges and maintain emotional stability.Phase 1 of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study will examine 100 competitive athletes aged 12-17, from individual and team sports. Participants will complete survey measures of self-complexity, resilience, and burnout. This data will be analyzed using MANOVA to compare resilience and burnout scores in relation to self-complexity. In Phase 2, qualitative interviews and thematic analysis will be used with a subset of 20 athletes (10 scoring high on self-complexity, 10 scoring low), to explore individual experiences and responses to stressors in sport.The proposed study will advance our understanding of youth sport specialization and burnout, while also informing practices that protect youth mental health and support the development of evidence-based policies that prioritize athlete well-being alongside performance. As young athletes form the foundation of Canada’s future of sport, it is imperative that we promote their healthy, sustainable development.