When achievement goals meet burnout: interactive effects on doping intention in competitive cyclists

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Although the role of achievement goals in doping in sport has been widely studied, the influence of athlete burnout and its interaction with achievement goals remains unexplored. This study examined the interaction between doping attitudes, achievement goals and burnout on doping intention in a sample of 71 competitive cyclists. Doping attitudes were assessed at baseline. Doping intention was measured across eight scenarios manipulating achievement goals and burnout conditions. Repeated Measures analyses revealed that doping attitudes were strongly associated with doping intention and conditioned the combined effects of achievement goals and burnout on doping intention. Post hoc analyses indicated that doping intention was significantly higher in scenarios combining: (a) performance-approach with burnout compared to both performance-approach without burnout and mastery-approach with burnout, and (b) mastery-avoidance goals with burnout, compared with mastery-avoidance without burnout. These findings suggest that burnout may exacerbate the association between certain achievement goals and doping intention, particularly at higher levels of favourable doping attitudes. This study highlights the importance of fostering environments that support adaptive achievement goals and promote athletes’ mental well-being.