TY - JOUR
T1 - Motivational climate, self-determination, burnout, and mindfulness in adolescent football players from a professional academy in virtual settings
AU - Reyes-Bossio, Mario
AU - Veran-Casanova, Natalia
AU - de Rueda, Franco Ascenzo-Bravo
AU - Sánchez-Villena, Andy
AU - Delgado-Campusano, Mariel
AU - Tutte-Vallarino, Veronica
AU - Brandão, Regina
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2026 Reyes-Bossio, Veran-Casanova, de Rueda, Sánchez-Villena, Delgado-Campusano, Tutte-Vallarino and Brandão.
PY - 2026/1/8
Y1 - 2026/1/8
N2 -
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic shifted sports training to virtual formats, impacting athletes’ motivation, well-being, and mental health. In this context, motivational climate, self-determined motivation, mindfulness, and burnout are key factors for understanding adolescents’ psychological adjustment in football.
Methods
This study employed a cross-sectional design, with all variables collected at a single time point during mandatory virtual training. This cross-sectional study surveyed 154 adolescent football players (M = 15.9 years) from a Peruvian professional academy during mandatory virtual training. Participants completed the EDMCQ-C, SMS, MAAS-5, and ABQ. A psychological network analysis was performed in R using non-regularized partial correlations and bootstrapped stability estimates.
Results
An empowering climate was positively associated with intrinsic motivation and mindfulness, whereas a disempowering climate was linked to extrinsic motivation and burnout. Extrinsic motivation emerged as the most central node in the network, and mindfulness functioned as a bridging node that buffered the spread of demotivation toward exhaustion. The model showed adequate stability (CS = 0.44).
Conclusion
Empowering motivational climates and mindfulness protect adolescents’ psychological wellbeing, whereas controlling coaching and extrinsic motivation heighten the risk of burnout. These findings support incorporating autonomy-supportive coaching and brief mindfulness practices in youth sport training and coach education programs.
AB -
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic shifted sports training to virtual formats, impacting athletes’ motivation, well-being, and mental health. In this context, motivational climate, self-determined motivation, mindfulness, and burnout are key factors for understanding adolescents’ psychological adjustment in football.
Methods
This study employed a cross-sectional design, with all variables collected at a single time point during mandatory virtual training. This cross-sectional study surveyed 154 adolescent football players (M = 15.9 years) from a Peruvian professional academy during mandatory virtual training. Participants completed the EDMCQ-C, SMS, MAAS-5, and ABQ. A psychological network analysis was performed in R using non-regularized partial correlations and bootstrapped stability estimates.
Results
An empowering climate was positively associated with intrinsic motivation and mindfulness, whereas a disempowering climate was linked to extrinsic motivation and burnout. Extrinsic motivation emerged as the most central node in the network, and mindfulness functioned as a bridging node that buffered the spread of demotivation toward exhaustion. The model showed adequate stability (CS = 0.44).
Conclusion
Empowering motivational climates and mindfulness protect adolescents’ psychological wellbeing, whereas controlling coaching and extrinsic motivation heighten the risk of burnout. These findings support incorporating autonomy-supportive coaching and brief mindfulness practices in youth sport training and coach education programs.
KW - adolescent football (soccer)
KW - athlete burnout
KW - empowering and disempowering coaching
KW - mindfulness
KW - motivational climate
KW - network analysis
KW - self-determined motivation
KW - virtual training
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1732005
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105028910630
U2 - 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1732005
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1732005
M3 - Artículo
SN - 1664-1078
VL - 16
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
JF - Frontiers in Psychology
M1 - 1732005
ER -