The influence of family support, age, and body composition on the perception of burnout syndrome in young football athletes

Abstract This study analyzed nine factors associated with burnout in U-20 soccer players: age, body mass index (BMI), years of sports practice, weekly training frequency, training duration, distance from family residence, number of family visits per year, living with family, and financial dependence on the athlete's salary. The sample included 251 male athletes from five top-division teams in the championship. Data were collected using a structured form, and burnout was assessed through the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ), which measures physical and emotional exhaustion (PEE), reduced sense of athletic accomplishment (RSAA), and sport devaluation (SD). Age showed a negative association with PEE (β = -0.919; p = 0.001), indicating lower exhaustion levels in older athletes. BMI was positively associated with PEE (β = 1.025; p = 0.023), suggesting greater exhaustion in athletes with higher BMI. Living with family was positively associated with SD (β = 1.161; p = 0.005) and total burnout (β = 1.068; p = 0.025), indicating that athletes outside the family environment tend to perceive sports more negatively and are at higher risk of burnout. Therefore, family and psychological support, along with nutritional management, are essential for athletes' emotional and physical balance, as they prevent perceptions linked to burnout syndrome, strengthen emotional management, and contribute to promoting better athletic performance and career longevity.