ATHLETIC IDENTITY IN YOUTH ATHLETES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

BACKGROUND: Athletic identity (AI) is an important part of the sporting culture that ties in multiple components of how an individual relates to their sport. Adult-based research has described positive and negative sequelae from adopting a robust AI, but there has been less studied on this social trait in younger age groups. PURPOSE: To systematically review the literature to investigate and describe epidemiological characteristics of athletic identity in athletes younger than 22 years old. METHODS: This review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Group (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo were searched to identify studies that quantitatively assessed athletic identity. Three independent reviewers performed data extraction and quality assessment. Study eligibility criteria included English-language publications from 1945-present with an athletic identity outcome in individuals 22 years old and younger. Assessment for study bias was evaluated using the Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS). RESULTS: Ten studies met the study’s inclusion criteria, eight were cross-sectional design, one was a case series, and one involved a longitudinal design. For these studies, three out of the ten were deemed good quality by AXIS and the remainder were of fair quality. Eight of the ten studies utilized the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale and two utilized the Athlete Identity Questionnaire. Constructs examined include sports and physical activity participation, mental health, sports-related injury, and demographics such as gender and ethnicity. Scores did not vary by gender, but did by race/ethnicity. Two studies found that adolescence was a time of increased athletic identity as opposed to later in one’s training. The studies that focused on mental health and AI showed higher levels may have a protective effect against burnout, but in injured athletes, it may increase the likelihood of depression. In a study examining AI and injury, there was a bimodal association of both low AI and high AI athletes having higher risk of injury. CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic review of the literature resulted in very heterogeneous results, preventing analyses of common measures and outcomes. There was cross-study evidence that in adolescence, the transition to a higher level of play can be correlated with a stronger sense of athletic identity. Several studies examined the effect athletic identity can have on the mental health of youth. Further study is needed in pediatric athletes to better understand the relationship between AI and different components of sport.