Examining the three-way interactive effects of coach-, parent-, and peer-created motivational climates on burnout in Chinese youth athletes

In the context of youth sports, burnout is characterised as a chronic loss of motivation caused by prolonged stress without effective coping. Drawing on Achievement Goal Theory (AGT), previous research has examined the independent and bidirectional interaction effects of motivational climates created by coaches, parents, and peers on youth athletic burnout. However, little is known about potential three-way interactions among these agents and which climate combinations may mitigate burnout. To address this gap, the present study examined such interactive effects of mastery climate (MC) and performance climate (PC), as perceived to be created by coaches, parents, and peers, on burnout in 1,022 Chinese youth athletes (Male = 629, Female = 393, Mage = 17.45 ± 1.11 years). Two significant three-way interaction effects emerged: Coach MC × Parent PC × Peer MC (β = −0.07, t = −1.99, p < .05) and Coach MC × Parent PC × Peer PC (β = 0.08, t = −2.32, p < .05). Visualisation indicated that combinations such as high Coach MC + low Parent PC + high Peer MC and high Coach MC + low Parent PC + low Peer PC buffered burnout. In contrast, low Coach MC + high Parent PC + low Peer MC and low Coach MC + high Parent PC + high Peer PC exacerbated it. These findings highlight the need to move beyond a single-agent focus on athlete motivation research. To effectively combat burnout, fostering a synergistic motivational climate ecosystem through the collaboration of coaches, parents, and peers may be beneficial.