Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being in Youth Athletes

Dear Colleagues,

The mental health and well-being of youth athletes is a growing area of concern and opportunity in sport, health, and education research. This Special Issue seeks to explore the multifaceted relationship between athletic participation and psychological well-being among children and adolescents. While sport can foster resilience, self-esteem, and social connection, it also presents challenges such as performance pressure, injury, burnout, and identity development.

A key focus of this Special Issue is the transitional experiences of youth athletes—whether moving between age groups, competitive levels, or exiting sport altogether. Transitions can be emotionally and psychologically challenging, often accompanied by uncertainty, loss of identity, and reduced social support. These moments are critical for mental health intervention and support, yet they are often overlooked in youth sport systems. We invite contributions that examine how transitions impact mental health and what strategies can be implemented to support athletes during these vulnerable periods.

This Special Issue welcomes empirical research, theoretical explorations, and practice-based insights across various sporting contexts, including community, school, and elite development pathways. Topics may include mental health literacy among coaches and parents, inclusive practices for neurodiverse or marginalised youth, the role of sport psychologists, and the influence of organisational culture on athlete well-being. Research that uses longitudinal designs to examine the long-term mental health impacts of sport, including outcomes such as anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and disordered eating, and studies that explore interventions to influence these outcomes are particularly welcome.

Interdisciplinary approaches that integrate psychology, public health, education, and sport science are encouraged. We also seek submissions that amplify the voices of young athletes and reflect culturally responsive and gender-sensitive practices. The overarching goal is to advance understanding of how sport can be a platform for mental health promotion while identifying risks and protective factors that shape youth athlete experiences.

This Special Issue will supplement existing literature by addressing underexplored aspects of youth athlete mental health. It will highlight the psychological impact of transitional phases, such as moving between competitive levels or exiting sport, which are often overlooked in youth contexts. By shifting the focus from performance enhancement to holistic well-being, this Special Issue will broaden the scope of sport psychology research. It also integrates interdisciplinary and inclusive perspectives, incorporating insights from education, public health, and social sciences, and emphasising diversity in gender, culture, and neurodiversity. Importantly, it will amplify youth voices through participatory and qualitative research, offering richer insights into lived experiences. Finally, the Special Issue will bridge theory and practice by showcasing evidence-informed strategies for coaches, parents, and sport organisations, and responding to contemporary challenges such as social media pressures and early specialisation.

Dr. Deborah Agnew
Dr. Sam Elliott
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Youth is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• youth sport
• mental health promotion
• athlete well-being
• psychological resilience
• athlete transitions
• identity development
• coach education
• inclusive sport
• burnout and stress
• holistic athlete development