Athlete Burnout Research Articles

Individualism, collectivism, burnout, and sport officials: a self-determination perspective.

Using self-determination theory as a theoretical framework, this study aimed to understand the role of individualism and collectivism in burnout among sport officials. Fifty umpires from Australia and Singapore were recruited to complete a multi-section questionnaire. No differences in individualism and collectivism between the countries were found, but results showed cultural differences in basic needs satisfaction, types of motivation, and symptoms of burnout. Individualism had a marginal moderating effect on the relationship between basic needs satisfaction for relatedness and overall levels of self-determined motivation. Results suggest that the process of burnout for sport officials may be different from athlete burnout.

Vitamin D, Serum Ferritin, and College Athlete Burnout

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D concentration ([Vit D]), serum ferritin concentration ([Fe]) and athlete burnout (AB) in Division I (D1) collegiate athletes. METHODS: Seventy-two (males = 24) DI college athletes (cross-country, swimming, basketball, women’s soccer) completed blood draws and psychosocial measurements both pre- and post-competitive season. Serum was analyzed for 25 hydroxyvitamin D and ferritin at a certified hospital laboratory. The athlete burnout questionnaire (ABQ) was completed post-competitive season (Raedeke & Smith, 2001). Subscales of ABQ include devaluation of sport, emotional and physical exhaustion, and reduced sense of accomplishment. RESULTS: Linear regression analyses on the entire cohort (male and female athletes combined) revealed no statistically significant relationships between pre-to post-competitive season change (Δ) for either Δ[Vit D] (p = .78) or Δ[Fe] (p = .69) with regards to any subscale variable within the ABQ. When separated by gender, Δ[Vit D] (p = .57) and Δ[Fe] (p = .57) did not significantly predict AB in females. However, a significant decrease in pre to post competition Δ[Vit D] (Mean±SD = -8.45±4.33) did significantly predict and explain 20.6% of the variance of male athlete perceptions of devaluation of sport (p < .05). Another linear regression showed that pre-season [Fe] (Mean±SD = 68.53±31.49) predicted and explained 16% of the variance of male athlete perceptions of physical and emotional exhaustion from sport (p ≤ .05). Additionally, medium to large correlations were noted in male athletes between [Fe], [Vit D], and AB including pre-season [Fe] and AB (r = .41:p<0.05), post-season [Fe] and AB (r = .36;NS), and Δ[Vit D] and AB (r = .41;p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings support a proposed interplay between mood and chemistry, with respect to Δ[Vit D], Δ[Fe], and AB, particularly in male collegiate athletes who live and train in latitudes above 37 degrees north (Vitamin D winter). Although significant negative relationships were found in male athletes only (the lower [Vit D] and [Fe], the greater chance of AB) we will continue exploration in both genders with randomized (supplement) trials, greater number of subjects, and extended testing time through the winter.

Relationships Among Stress, Burnout, Athletic Identity, and Athlete Satisfaction in Students at Korea's Physical Education High Schools: Validating Differences Between Pathways According to Ego Resilience.

We tested the structural relationships between stress, burnout, athletic identity, and athlete satisfaction in student athletes attending Korea's physical education high schools and analyzed the differences between paths by ego resilience. Data were collected from student athletes at three Korean physical education high schools. Before data collection, each instruments' content validity was confirmed, and after data collection, construct validity was tested using factor analysis. The results were derived using reliability testing, descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and structural equation modeling. After testing the final research model, the following results were obtained: (a) high levels of stress had a strong correlation with burnout and high levels of burnout was negatively related to athletic identity and athlete satisfaction; (b) in our model, burnout showed full mediation of the relationship between stress and athlete identity/athletic satisfaction; and (c) the high ego resilience group showed a weaker relationship compared to the low ego resilience group in the pathways from stress → burnout and burnout → athletic identity/athlete satisfaction.

Anxiety and burnout in young athletes: The mediating role of cognitive appraisal

This study tested the relationship between trait anxiety, cognitive appraisal, and athletes' burnout proposing two hypotheses: (a) there is a direct relationship between athletes' trait anxiety and cognitive appraisal and burnout, and (b) cognitive appraisal mediates the relationship between trait anxiety and burnout, and this mediation occurs despite the competitive level and sport records of athletes. The study included 673 young athletes and provided measures of trait anxiety, cognitive appraisal, and burnout. Structural equation modeling indicated that cognitive appraisal mediates the relationship between trait anxiety and burnout, confirming hypothesis 2, and this model provided better fit than the direct model of hypothesis 1. However, the mediation also indicated that the direct relationship between trait anxiety and burnout should be considered. The mediating model was invariant according to competitive levels and sport records. In conclusion, cognitive appraisal is an important variable in explaining athletes' burnout.

Gratitude, Burnout, and Sport Satisfaction Among College Student-Athletes: The Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support

The present study explored the relationships among gratitude, sport satisfaction, athlete burnout, and perceived social support among college student-athletes in the United States. Participants (N = 293) from 16 different types of sports at 8 NCAA Division I and III institutions were surveyed. Results indicated gratitude was negatively correlated with burnout and positively correlated with sport satisfaction, suggesting that athletes who reported more general gratitude also experienced lower levels of burnout and greater levels of satisfaction with their college sport experience. Perceived social support was found to be a mediator in both relationships. Limitations and implications for research and practice are discussed.

Relationship of Perceived Passion, Basic Psychological needs and Athlete Burnout in Adolescent Athletes

본 연구에서는 운동선수들이 지각한 열정과 운동탈진의 관계에서 기본 심리적 욕구가 어떠한 매개효과로 작용하는지를 검증하기 위해 편의표본추출법을 이용해서 운동선수 명을 연구대상자로 376 선정하였다. 자료처리는 SPSS 22.0과 AMOS 22.0을 활용하여 빈도분석, 상관분석, 확인적 요인분석, 구조방정식 분석을 하였다. 분석한 결과 첫째, 열정과 기본 심리적 욕구 관계에서 조화열정은 기본 심리적 욕구에 정적인(+) 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났지만, 강박열정은 기본 심리적 욕구에 부적인(-)영향을 미쳤다. 둘째, 기본 심리적 욕구는 탈진에 부적인(-)영향을 미쳤다. 셋째, 열정과 탈진의 관계에서 기본 심리적 욕구는 부분 매개효과가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 결과는 청소년 운동선수들의 탈진과정을 이해하기 위해서는 잠재적인 심리적 변인을 이해할 필요가 있음을 확인할 수 있었다.

대학 골프선수들의 완벽주의성향, 스트레스, 그리고 탈진 간의 관계에 대한 융합적 연구

본 연구의 목적은 대학 골프선수들의 완벽주의성향, 스트레스, 그리고 탈진 간의 관계를 검증하는데 있다. 연구의 참여자는 대학교에 재학 중인 221명의 학생들이다. 연구의 결과에서 자기지향적 완벽주의성향과 사회부과적 완벽주의성향은 스트레스를 높이는 선행변수임이 밝혀졌다. 자기지향적 완벽주의성향은 개인의 성취도를 낮추었으며, 사회부과적 완벽주의성향은 탈진의 정도를 높이는 것으로 나타났다. 선수들의 스트레스는 감정적 소진과 낮은 개인적 성취도에 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 간접 효과에서 자기지향과 사회부과적 완벽주의성향은 스트레스를 높이고 감정적 소진과 낮은 개인적 성취도에 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구의 결과는 선수들이 승리에 대한 압박감에서 벗어나 즐기면서 지속적으로 운동을 할 수 있는 문화를 구축하는데 도움이 되고자 한다. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among perfectionism, stress, and burnout in college golf athletes. Participants were 221 college students. Self-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism were found to be the antecedent variables causing stress. Self-oriented perfectionism reduced personal accomplishments, and socially prescribed perfectionism increased the level of burnout. Additionally, perceived stress not only engendered emotional exhaustion but also reduced personal accomplishments. Regarding indirect effects, self-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism increased the level of stress and affected athletes' emotional exhaustion and lack of accomplishments. The results will be of use for helping athletes to escape from the perfectionism that occurs due to their obsession with winning, thus laying the foundation for athletes to continue to enjoy their sports.

控制执教行为对大学生运动员主观活力感的影响：运动员倦怠的中介作用

为探讨运动员倦怠在控制执教行为与主观活力感之间的中介作用，我们使用控制执教行为量表(CCBS)、运动员倦怠问卷(ABQ)和主观活力量表(SVS)调查了334名大学生运动员。研究发现，运动员倦怠在消极条件性关注、威迫与主观活力之间起完全中介作用，在过度个人控制与主观活力之间起部分中介作用。这一研究发现表明，运动员倦怠是教练员为控制执教行为影响主观活力感的一个重要中介因素。另外，过度个人控制对主观活力感的直接影响更加突显控制执教行为的对运动员的负面影响。因此，教练员应减少对控制执教方式的使用。未来研究者需要进一步探讨更加符合中国文化特点以及体育体制特征的教练员执教方式，在确保运动成绩、训练质量的同时，使运动员的主观心理及情感体验(主观幸福感)得到应有的重视。 To explore the mediating effect of athlete burnout on the relationship among controlling coach behaviors and subjective vitality in Chinese collegiate athletes, 334 Chinese collegiate athletes were investigated by using Controlling Coach Behaviors Scale (CCBS), Athlete Burnout Question-naire (ABQ) and Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS). The results showed that collegiate athletes’ bur-nout fully mediated the effect of negative conditional regard and intimidation controlling on theirs feeling of subjective vitality and partially mediated the effect of excessive personal control on theirs feeling of subjective vitality. It is suggested that collegiate athletes’ burnout is an important mediator in the relationship between their coaches’ controlling behavior and athletes’ subjective vitality. Further, the direct and indirect effects of excessive personal control on athletes’ subjective vitality highlight the detrimental effect of coaches’ controlling coaching behaviors on athletes’ subjective experiences. It is suggested that the coaches should reduce the usage of controlling style in their coaching practice. Researchers are suggested to further explore more desirable and effective coaching styles that fit the Chinese culture and current sport system well and meanwhile take athletes’ subjective wellness into consideration.

Relationship between Leadership among Peers and Burnout in Sports Teams.

This study has been conducted with the aim of ascertaining the relationship between peer leaders in sport teams and the levels of burnout experienced by their team-mates. A total of 219 Spanish athletes involved in football and basketball participated in the study. To measure leadership among peers, we employed the Sports Peer Leadership Scale, which comprises 24 items, grouped into 6 primary factors: empathy, influence on decision making, sports values, social support, training orientation and competition orientation. And to measure burnout, we employed the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire, which comprises 15 items which are indicators of physical and emotional exhaustion, devaluation and reduced sense of accomplishment among athletes. The results led to the conclusion that there is a statistically significant negative relationship between perceived leadership capacity and the levels of burnout experience by a team. The greater the level of leadership capacity perceived, the lower the levels of burnout will be. A multiple regression analysis with total burnout as dependent variable and social and task orientations of the leader as predictors showed standardized regression coefficients of -.241 (p = .010) and -.076 (p = .413), respectively for social and task orientation, being the effect size equal to .089.

Psychometric properties of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS): measurement invariance between athletes and non-athletes and construct validity

BackgroundAlthough Perceived Stress Scale (PSS, Cohen, Kamarack & Mermelstein, 1983) has been validated and widely used in many domains, there is still no validation in sports by comparing athletes and non-athletes and examining related psychometric indices.PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the measurement invariance of PSS between athletes and non-athletes, and examine construct validity and reliability in the sports contexts. MethodsStudy 1 sampled 359 college student-athletes (males = 233; females = 126) and 242 non-athletes (males = 124; females = 118) and examined factorial structure, measurement invariance and internal consistency. Study 2 sampled 196 student-athletes (males = 139, females = 57, Mage = 19.88 yrs, SD = 1.35) and examined discriminant validity and convergent validity of PSS. Study 3 sampled 37 student-athletes to assess test-retest reliability of PSS.ResultsResults found that 2-factor PSS-10 fitted the model the best and had appropriate reliability. Also, there was a measurement invariance between athletes and non-athletes; and PSS positively correlated with athletic burnout and life stress but negatively correlated with coping efficacy provided evidence of discriminant validity and convergent validity. Further, the test-retest reliability for PSS subscales was significant (r = .66 and r = .50).DiscussionIt is suggested that 2-factor PSS-10 can be a useful tool in assessing perceived stress either in sports or non-sports settings. We suggest future study may use 2-factor PSS-10 in examining the effects of stress on the athletic injury, burnout, and psychiatry disorders.

Sport-domain gratitude uniquely accounts for athletes’ well-being across two cultures: Incremental validity above the general gratitude

The current study conducted two independent studies to examine whether sport-domain gratitude would account for increased explained variance in athlete well-being indicators after controlling for the general gratitude. Study 1 recruited 167 U.S. athletes and found sport-domain gratitude significantly accounted for increased explained variance in athletes burnout and team satisfaction when general gratitude was controlled. To cross-validate and advance Study 1, Study 2 recruited 290 Taiwan adolescent athletes with time lagged design. Results were consistent with Study 1 which supported its generalizability across countries and age. The implications and applications are discussed in terms of contextualized interpretation of gratitude.

Longitudinal trajectories of athlete burnout among young table tennis players: A 3-wave study

PurposeThe purposes of this study were to examine the trajectories of athlete burnout across a 2-month period characterized by high physical, psychological, and social demands to explore (1) whether several subgroups of athletes representing distinct burnout trajectories emerged from the analyses and (2) whether athlete burnout symptoms (reduced accomplishment, sport devaluation, and exhaustion) developed in tandem or whether some burnout dimensions predicted downstream changes in other dimensions (causal ordering model). MethodsOne hundred and fifty-nine table tennis players in intensive training centers completed a self-reported athlete burnout measure across 3 time points within a 2-month period characterized by high demands. Data were analyzed through latent class growth analysis. ResultsResults of latent class growth analysis showed 3 distinct trajectories for each athlete burnout dimension, indicating not only linear or quadratic change but also stability in longitudinal athlete burnout perceptions. Results also suggested that the 3 dimensions of athlete burnout did not develop in tandem. Rather, the likelihood of belonging to particular emerging trajectories of sport devaluation and physical/emotional exhaustion was significantly influenced by the athletes' perception of reduced accomplishment assessed at Time 1. Thus, reduced accomplishment predicted downstream changes in the 2 other athlete burnout dimensions. ConclusionAs a whole, these results highlighted that the multinomial heterogeneity in longitudinal athlete burnout symptoms needs to be accounted for in future research.

Impacts of talent development environments on athlete burnout: a self-determination perspective

ABSTRACTGuided by Deci and Ryan’s (2000) self-determination theory, this survey study aimed to examine the effects of the talent development environmental factors on athlete burnout. Talented adolescent athletes (n = 691) filled out a survey form measuring the talent development environmental factors, needs satisfaction and burnout. The findings showed that three talent environmental factors (i.e., long-term development focus, holistic quality preparation and communication) were negative predictors of burnout via needs satisfaction. It was concluded that the three talent development environmental factors may be important for facilitating athletes’ needs satisfaction and preventing burnout.

Conceptual Confusion and Potential Advances in Athlete Burnout Research.

More than 30 years of research on athlete burnout has yielded important insights and questions regarding the onset, nature, and consequences of this detrimental syndrome. Not surprisingly, burnout is considered an important matter, both from a research and practical standpoint. We comment on the work of Ryu, Ali, Kim, Choi, and Radlo, who examined the impact of burnout on cognitive performance among athletes.

Analysis of the athlete burnout phenomenon: The past, the present and the future of athlete burnout research

Analysis of the athlete burnout phenomenon: The past, the present and the future of athlete burnout research

Sports Specialization and Intensive Training in Young Athletes.

Sports specialization is becoming the norm in youth sports for a variety of reasons. When sports specialization occurs too early, detrimental effects may occur, both physically and psychologically. If the timing is correct and sports specialization is performed under the correct conditions, the athlete may be successful in reaching specific goals. Young athletes who train intensively, whether specialized or not, can also be at risk of adverse effects on the mind and body. The purpose of this clinical report is to assist pediatricians in counseling their young athlete patients and their parents regarding sports specialization and intensive training. This report supports the American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report "Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Child and Adolescent Athletes."

Motivation Mediates the Perfectionism-Burnout Relationship: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study With Junior Athletes.

Perfectionism in sports has been shown to predict longitudinal changes in athlete burnout. What mediates these changes over time, however, is still unclear. Adopting a self-determination theory perspective and using a three-wave longitudinal design, the current study examined perfectionistic strivings, perfectionistic concerns, autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, and athlete burnout in 141 junior athletes (mean age = 17.3 years) over 6 months of active training. When multilevel structural equation modeling was employed to test a mediational model, a differential pattern of between- and within-person relationships emerged. Whereas autonomous motivation mediated the negative relationship that perfectionistic strivings had with burnout at the between- and within-person level, controlled motivation mediated the positive relationship that perfectionistic concerns had with burnout at the between-persons level only. The present findings suggest that differences in autonomous and controlled motivation explain why perfectionism predicts changes in athlete burnout over time.

Athlete Burnout and the Risk of Dropout Among Young Elite Handball Players

The negative feelings that are part of burnout syndrome may prompt athletes to drop out of their sport. The objective of the current study was therefore to examine the influence of athlete burnout profiles on playing status 6 years later. The participants of this study were 458 boys and girls between 14 and 18 years old (M = 15.44; SD = .95) enrolled in elite handball training centers. Cluster analysis on athlete burnout and multinomial logistic regressions on the playing status were conducted. The results suggest that those individuals with a “higher burnout” profile at Time 1 were more likely to have stopped playing handball 6 years later. It therefore seems important to develop strategies to prevent burnout in young athletes enrolled in elite training structures and to promote long-term engagement and well-being in elite sporting activity.

The Relationships among Motivation, Ego-Resilience and Burnout in High School Taekwondo Athletes

The Relationships among Motivation, Ego-Resilience and Burnout in High School Taekwondo Athletes

Perfectionism and changes in athlete burnout over three months: Interactive effects of personal standards and evaluative concerns perfectionism

ObjectivesA recent longitudinal study with junior athletes (Madigan, Stoeber, & Passfield, 2015) found perfectionism to predict changes in athlete burnout: evaluative concerns perfectionism predicted increases in burnout over a 3-month period, whereas personal standards perfectionism predicted decreases. The present study sought to expand on these findings by using the framework of the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism (Gaudreau & Thompson, 2010) to examine whether evaluative concerns perfectionism and personal standards perfectionism show interactions in predicting changes in athlete burnout. DesignTwo-wave longitudinal design. MethodThe present study examined self-reported evaluative concerns perfectionism, personal standards perfectionism, and athlete burnout in 111 athletes (mean age 24.8 years) over 3 months of active training. Results and conclusionWhen moderated regression analyses were employed, interactive effects of evaluative concerns perfectionism × personal standards perfectionism were found indicating that personal standards perfectionism buffered the effects of evaluative concerns perfectionism on total burnout and physical/emotional exhaustion. To interpret these effects, the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism provides a useful theoretical framework.