Abstract
Athletic identity (AI), the degree of personal connection to sport, is well-described in adult research; however, this social trait has been less studied in younger age groups. This systematic review describes epidemiological characteristics of AI in youth athletes. PubMed, Embase and PsycInfo were searched to identify AI studies involving quantitative athlete identity outcomes and cohorts 22 years and younger. The search strategy was developed for each database using the Boolean method. PRISMA guidelines and the Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS) were utilized. Ten out of ninety-one studies met inclusion criteria. AI scores differed by race/ethnicity. Two studies found increased AI during adolescence compared to later in ones’ training. Mental health-focused studies revealed higher AI levels protect against burnout, but in injured athletes, increased depression risk. Transitioning to a higher level of play during adolescence can correlate with stronger senses of AI. Further research should explore the concept of athletic identity saliency as one moves through an athletic career or training program and how thoughts of perceived success, professional progression, recruitment prospect or injury affect levels of athletic identity.
Highlights
The psychologist William James considered the concept of “self” as a primary element of human thoughts, feelings and actions [1]
Three out of the ten studies were deemed good studies and the remainder were of fair quality, based on the AXIS appraisal tool (Table 2)
Amidst a time when more youth athletes are participating in high level sport competition [54], the question arises as to whether an over-emphasis on performance, excellence and results affects youth athletes’ identity development, or particular levels of athletic identity in youth affect risk of burnout
Summary
The psychologist William James considered the concept of “self” as a primary element of human thoughts, feelings and actions [1]. Several theories about identity have been proposed: personal versus social, singular versus multiple. In 1968, Erickson postulated that identity is primarily an unconscious and ever-changing sense of who one is, both as an individual and as a member of a particular group or society. Erickson declared that one’s identity cannot exist out of isolation from one’s culture or environment; identity development is inextricably linked to the core of an individual as well as the core of one’s communal culture [2]. Social identity theory proposes that identities are manifestations of a person’s identification with a particular group or social category, such as a sport team
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