Athlete burnout and perfectionism in objectively and subjectively assessed sports

Abstract

When athletes are burning out, performance decreases whereas exhaustion and devaluation increases. Athletes with perfectionistic tendencies may be at greater risk for burnout than those with lower levels. But are there any differences between athletes participating in objectively assessed sports (utilizing unbiased measures, such as time, e.g. swimming) and athletes participating in subjectively assessed sports (relying on coach feedback, competition judges, or internal perceptions to gauge performance, e.g. competitive dancing)? A total of 108 athletes (including 53 athletes in objectively assessed and 55 athletes in subjectively assessed sports) completed the Sport Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-2 and the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire. Significant relationships were detected between perfectionism and burnout; negative dimensions of perfectionism were more strongly correlated with burnout. However, no significant differences were observed between the sports groupings, either on perfectionism or burnout. This study suggests that perfectionistic concerns are positively associated with athlete burnout, regardless of the athlete's sport being objectively or subjectively assessed.