Introduction
In the contemporary competitive sports environment, it is becoming widely recognized that young athletes’ overall growth depends on more than just technical proficiency and physical training. An essential aspect of long-term athletic success is self-care, which is the proactive practice of preserving one’s own psychological, emotional, and physical well-being. An athlete’s trajectory is essentially determined by psychological and emotional factors rather than just the physical part. Self-care routines are the main moderator that helps young-athletes manage the particular “dual-demand” environment of athletics and academics while preserving high levels of well-being (Mao, 2025).
Moreover, making self-care a part of the routine of the young athletes is particularly critical for the development of psychological resilience. An analysis was carried out where regular exercise, when combined with thoughtful emotional self-regulation and flexible coping mechanisms, may significantly regulate symptoms of stress and anxiety. Moreover, the research indicated that athletes can develop a sense of competence and belonging through sport, which serves as a strong social context. However, they came to the conclusion that these advantages are only fully achieved when the athletic setting emphasizes emotional support techniques in addition to physical training, supporting the notion that mental wellness is a fundamental prerequisite for optimal performance (Purcell et al., 2023).
Based on this conceptual framework, preventing burnout is both an individual and a social and institutional responsibility. According to Gustafsson et al. (2025), a constant imbalance between one’s personal resources and the demands of the environment leads to athlete burnout. Their long-term research demonstrates that internal factors like self-oriented perfectionism and mindfulness are important indicators of an athlete’s vulnerability to fatigue. Therefore, a systemic change within sports organizations is necessary for self-care to be effective, such as developing psychological support programs that allow athletes to take significant responsibility for their lives and well-being.
In conclusion, self-care is just as crucial a part of the contemporary athletic framework as daily workouts or training. The sports community should be able to guarantee that young athletes not only succeed in their discipline but also acquire the resilience and self-management skills required for a healthy life off the field by creating environments that prioritize emotional well-being as much as physical outcomes.
This research is based on a literature review using a systematic compilation of data to analyze the relationship between mental health and sports practice in young people (Vilanova, 2012).
To guide the selection of relevant studies, a structured but non-systematic approach was adopted. The search was conducted across three databases: Scopus, Web of Science, and Dialnet. In order to focus the topic, keywords have been established to help define it: ‘young athletes’ and ‘self-care for athletes.’
The inclusion criteria are explained below:
- Relevance to the research topic: studies related to mental health in the context of sports will be considered.
- Date: Articles published between 2020 and 2026 will be selected.
- Language: All languages
- Discipline: Studies within the fields of psychology and social sciences will be considered.
- Population: Studies aimed at young adults will be taken into account.
The exclusion criteria are explained below:
- Relation to the research topic: studies outside the defined scope of mental health and sport will not be considered.
- Date: studies published before 2020 will be rejected.
- Discipline: studies belonging to disciplines other than psychology and social sciences will not be considered.
- Population: studies focusing exclusively on veteran professional athletes or the general non-athletic population will be discarded.
After determining the criteria, we proceeded to read and analyze the studies in depth to determine those most relevant to the research and to identify the most relevant topics to address. To this end, an exhaustive selection and interpretation of the content was carried out following the process below:
- The relevance of the study in relation to our research objective was taken into account.
- A search was carried out according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria.
- The studies provided a direct contribution to the content of the topic to be addressed.
- Studies that followed an appropriate research process and produced results in line with the objective were selected.
Continuing with the literature review process and considering the content relevant to the research topic, three groups of analysis were planned:
Firstly, the relationship between sports practice and self-care in young people will be analyzed.
Secondly, we want to understand the relationship between self-care and sports performance, analyzing how mental state influences competition.
Thirdly, the link between sporting demands and self-care will be investigated.
Ultimately, the aim is to address the overall relationship between sporting activity, self-care and mental health, identifying whether there is sufficient scientific evidence to directly link these three variables in the young population.
The initial search yielded 213 records in Scopus, 7 in Web of Science, and 11 in Dialnet. Following the application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and after a qualitative screening of titles, abstracts, and full texts based on their relevance to the research objectives, the sample was significantly reduced. In Scopus, 8 articles met the initial criteria, of which only 1 was retained after in-depth analysis. In Web of Science, 1 article was selected from the 7 identified records. In Dialnet, 2 studies were included out of the initial 11. The final selection comprised 4 studies that provided a direct contribution to the analysis of the relationship between mental health, self-care, and sports practice in young populations.
Results
Table 1. Selected studies on mental health, self-care, and performance in young athletes
| Author/ Year | Sample | Sport | Variables Analyzed | Main Findings |
| Li, X., Sun, J., Han, J. | 813 professional colleges in athletes | Basketball, volleyball, football, table tennis, badminton, and tennis. | Time management, Study management, Learning management, Cognitive management, Emotional management, Stress management, Health management, Performance management, Motivation management | High-level college athletes who feel supported by their coach, like social support, and positive feedback demonstrate higher levels of self-management, which directly improves their sport self-efficacy and encourages more positive training attitudes. |
| Lundqvist et al. (2023). | 8 sports athletes (2 men, 6 women) aged 16–18 years | Wrestling, Gymnastics, and Athletics | Perceived psychosocial needs, mental health experiences, sources of stress (e.g., performance demands, body weight), and protective factors. | Intense performance and weight pressures create high mental health risks, requiring Strong pressure to perform and maintain weight can harm athletes mental health, so they need strong social support and better school-sport integration. |
| Öztürk Çelik, D. (2025) | 226 Turkish athlete-students (163 undergraduate and 63 graduate) | General sports participation | Emotional Intelligence (EI), Psychological Well-Being (PWB), Self-Efficacy (SE), and Burnout (BO) | Emotional intelligence positively predicts psychological well-being, with self-efficacy and burnout acting as key mediators in this relationship. |
| Arroyo del Bosque, San Martín González, & Amatria Jiménez (2024) | 70 female athletes (ages 14–16) | Volleyball | Cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, self-confidence, match outcome (win/loss), and location (home/away) | Somatic anxiety decreases significantly after home matches regardless of outcome; winning at home significantly boosts self-confidence compared to winning away. |
| Quirós Rose & Molino (2025) | 10 young athletes | Football | Psychological well-being (Self-acceptance and Personal growth) | A positive psychology intervention significantly improved athletes’ self-acceptance and personal growth, highlighting the effectiveness of mental health programs in youth sports. |
After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria established in the methodology and searching the Scopus, Web of Science, and Dialnet databases, some studies were identified that analyze the relationship between mental health, self-care, and athletic performance in young people. After critically reading and selecting the most relevant studies, they were analyzed to identify the main trends in recent scientific literature: the essential role of external support systems, the importance of psychological skills that serve as mediators, and the strong relationship between the environmental factors and the athletes self-care.
Regarding the first line of action, across all of the articles it is clear that positive external support is essential to support the self-care of the athletes. According to Li et al. (2025), if coaches follow behaviors such as training and instruction, democratic behavior, social support, and positive feedback, then athletes’ self-management and training attitude will be much more developed. Yet, Lundqvist et al. (2023) highlight that for adolescent elite athletes to have self-care, the support must extend beyond the coach, including a strong coordination between school and sports. This “dual-career” support is a critical protective factor against mental health risks.
In second place, the studies reveal that internal psychological skills act as critical mediators that translate external support into athletic success and well-being. Li et al. (2025) and Öztürk Çelik (2025) both use mediation models to demonstrate that support increases an athlete’s self-efficacy rather than performance or health on its own. According to Öztürk Çelik, emotional intelligence is a crucial skill for managing the pressures of student-athlete life and avoiding burnout, while Li et al. argued that self-management is the important connection that can improve training attitudes. Moreover, Quirós Rose & Molino (2025) said that these internal markers are dynamic and can be greatly improved by focused interventions that directly promote self-acceptance and personal development, including those based on positive psychology.
Last but not least, in relation to the third line of findings, the literature indicates that an athlete’s competing environments and surroundings can either aggravate stress or protect their mental health. According to Lundqvist et al. (2023), athletes who participate in specific sports such as wrestling or gymnastics are always under pressure to maintain their weight and perform excellently, which increases their risk of mental health issues. However, Arroyo del Bosque et al. (2024) discovered that the immediate setting of a game is important; sportsmen feel less nervous and more confident when they play “home” as opposed to “away.” Lastly, Öztürk Çelik (2025) points out that the shift to college is dangerous since burnout could arise from an unstable schedule. All of these studies demonstrate that an athlete’s ability to take care of themselves depends not only on their own decisions but also on the stability and safety of their environment.
[2] Discussions and conclusions
A review of the scientific literature indicates that, in general terms, there is a lack of research specifically focused on the idea of self-care of athletes, making the Mindfit project essential for our society. From the literature we can conclude that that “self-care” and “self-management” are not fixed character traits that athletes are born with, but are dynamic skills that can be developed. Participating in sports on a regularly helps develop important internal variables like emotional control, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction when combined with positive feedback from coaches or specific psychological workshops. Implying that athletes can be taught to better control their emotions and stress, suggesting that sports organizations should invest the same amount of resources to mental training as they do to physical training.
However, the results also show that the coach is the most influential person in an athlete’s daily environment. A coach’s style of leadership has a direct impact on an athlete’s self-efficacy and self-management, which determines the “psychological weather” of the team. Athletes are much more likely to maintain a positive attitude toward training and engage in effective self-care in highly competitive environments if their coach acts in a supportive and democratic manner.
Furthermore, athletes also need their surroundings to be supportive. This implies that the athlete’s family, school, and sports club must work closely together; a supportive coach alone is not enough. On the other hand, stress and anxiety levels can be raised in autocratic or unsupportive settings, which may have a negative effect on both emotional health and athletic performance.
In practical terms, these conclusions emphasize the need for specialized psychological support programs that go beyond general encouragement. The implementation of interventions based on positive psychology has proven effective in directly increasing self-acceptance, personal growth, and self-care. By combining physical training with emotional and psychological care strategies, sports organizations can maximize the benefits of athletic practice while minimizing the risks of stagnation or burnout.
Lastly, the systematic review demonstrates the necessity of a change in the way success is evaluated, going from a restricted focus on match results to a more comprehensive evaluation of the athlete’s psychological situation. Long-term success is most sustainable when athletes have the internal emotional intelligence (self-care is present) to handle a variety of athletic situations, even though external elements like “home-field advantage” can momentarily increase confidence and reduce anxiety.
References
Arroyo del Bosque, R., San Martín González, P., & Amatria Jiménez, M. (2025). View of importance of mental health in the sports environment. Sustainability and Sports Science Journal, 2(2), 87–97. https://doi.org/10.61486/CVJB5055
Fu, Y., Li, X., Sun, J., Li, C., Peng, Y., Hong, F., & Pan, J. (2025). The relationship between self-oriented perfectionism and athlete burnout: a longitudinal study. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1656816
Li, X., Sun, J., & Han, J. (2025). The relationship between coaches leadership behaviour and training attitudes of college high-level athletes: the role of self-management and sport self-efficacy. BMC Psychology, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03703-y
Lundqvist, C., Schary, D. P., Eklöf, E., Zand, S., & Jacobsson, J. (2023). Elite Lean Athletes at Sports High Schools Face Multiple Risks for Mental Health Concerns and Are in Need of Psychosocial Support. PLOS ONE, 18(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284725
Mao, Z. (2025). Advancements in research on psychological and emotional aspects of student-athletes. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1645177
Öztürk Çelik, D. (2025). Emotional Intelligence and Psychological Well-Being of Turkish Physical Education and Sports Athlete–Students: The Mediating Roles of Self-Efficacy and Burnout. Behavioral Sciences, 15(3), 314. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030314
Purcell, R., Henderson, J., Tamminen, K. A., Frost, J., Gwyther, K., Kerr, G., Kim, J., Pilkington, V., Rice, S. M., & Walton, C. C. (2023). Starting young to protect elite athletes’ mental health. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57(8). https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106352
Quirós Rose, A., & Molino, J. (2019). Investigación y Pensamiento Crítico. 13(2), 21–30. https://doi.org/10.37387/ipc.v13i2.411
SCOPUS
primera busqueda → 213 articulos
aplicando los criterios nos quedamos con 8
Leyendo los que tienen que ver y los que no → 1 artículo
Web of Science
Primera búsqueda → 7
Leyendo los que tienen que ver y los que no → 1 artículo
Dialnet
primera búsqueda → 11
Leyendo los que tienen que ver y los que no → 2
no se si faltaria un parrafo de conclusion