Development of burnout perceptions during adolescence among high-level athletes: a developmental and gendered perspective

J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2015 Aug;37(4):436-48. doi: 10.1123/jsep.2014-0251.

Abstract

This study examined (a) the developmental trajectories of athlete burnout perceptions, (b) the gender differences on these trajectories, and (c) the interactions in the developmental trajectories of the three burnout dimensions. A five-wave longitudinal study was conducted with 895 athletes (47.6% female; Mage = .67). Results of multilevel growth models revealed that during adolescence, "reduced sense of accomplishment" linearly decreased and was higher for girls than boys. Moreover, "emotional/physical exhaustion" increased then decreased, and seemed to have been attenuated at time points in which athletes also had higher levels of "sport devaluation." Finally, "sport devaluation" increased over time with higher increases for girls than boys. Results of our study depicted the general and the gendered shape of the trajectory of burnout perceptions during adolescence, and underlined the advantages of considering the multifaceted nature of burnout to enable a deeper examination of the within-person synergies in the development of the three dimensions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Development / physiology*
  • Athletes / psychology*
  • Burnout, Professional / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Sex Factors
  • Sports / psychology*