Burnout, recovery, and flow in youth high-performance athletes: a multilevel mixed-methods examination of mental health and psychological functioning in Chinese athletes

Introduction Youth athletes with extremely high accomplishments are under intense training that predisposes them to experiencing stress and emotional problems. This study sought to explore the relationship between burnout, recovery, flow, and psychological functioning among youth high-performance athletes in Guangdong province, China, employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach. Methods Quantitative data were collected from 450 youth high-performance athletes, while qualitative data were collected from 35 youth athletes and 12 coaches using reflexive thematic analysis. Quantitative analysis involved correlation, structural equation modeling, and multilevel regression. Results Training load (β = 0.342, p < 0.001) and perceived stress (β = 0.298, p < 0.001) positively predicted athlete burnout. Recovery experience (β = −0.324, p < 0.001), flow experience (β = −0.276, p < 0.001), coaching support (β = −0.281, p < 0.001), resilience (β = −0.196, p < 0.001), and sleep quality (β = −0.173, p < 0.001) had a significant negative relationship with burnout. Fit indices indicated satisfactory construct validity (CFI = 0.947, TLI = 0.939, RMSEA = 0.051, SRMR = 0.047). Mediation analysis showed significant indirect effects of recovery on the training load-burnout relationship [β = 0.121, 95% CI (0.067, 0.183)], and of flow on the coaching support–burnout relationship [β = −0.109, 95% CI (−0.158, −0.061)]. Discussion Four themes emerged from the qualitative data — training stress, recovery control, flow, and coaching environment — reinforcing the quantitative findings that psychological recovery and optimal-performance states are key protective mechanisms against burnout in youth high-performance sport.