© 2010 mcgraw-hill higher education. all rights reserved. burnout in sport: understanding the...

© 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Burnout in Sport: Understanding the Process: From Early Warning

Signs to Individualized Intervention

“…a candle which once glowed brightly, began to flicker, and eventually extinguished”

(Raedeke et al, 2002, p.182)

Chapter 22

Kate Goodger, David Lavallee, Trish Gorely, & Chris Harwood


What do athletes say?“Maybe 14 is too young to handle everything emotionally and I needed to escape from the expectation of being able to win every tournament I entered. I was always expected to be at the top and if I didn't win, to me that meant I was a loser. If I played terrible I thought I could handle it, but really I couldn't. I felt no-one liked me as a person. I was depressed and sad and lonely and guilty….I burned out.

After the US Open I spent a week in bed in darkness, just hating everything. When I looked in the mirror I saw this distorted image. I just wanted to kill myself. I'm not addicted to drugs, but you could say I was an addict to my own pain. I had this sarcasm about everything. I was depressed and sad and lonely and guilty.”

Jennifer Capriati (2001)


Lecture Outline• What is burnout?

• Burnout, dropout, overtraining and staleness

• Theories of burnout

• Burnout research

• Interventions


‘…a psychological syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and reduced sense of performance accomplishment that can occur among individuals who work with people in some capacity’ (Maslach & Jackson, 1984 p. 134).

Defining Burnout …not an easy task


Burnout in Sport

‘……a psychological, emotional and at times physical withdrawal from a formerly pursued and enjoyable activity in response to excessive stress or dissatisfaction’ (Smith, 1986 p.39).

‘A withdrawal from swimming noted by a reduced sense of accomplishment, devaluation/resentment of sport, and physical/psychological exhaustion’ (Raedeke, Lunney & Venables, 2002 p.181).


The Three Dimensions of Burnout

• Emotional Exhaustion – Intense training and competition

• Devaluation/Depersonalisation – Loss of interest and resentment

• Reduced Accomplishment – Achieving below expectations and not meeting personal targets


Understanding the language

• Dropout

• Overtraining

• Staleness

• Burnout

They are related but are not the same


Dropout

Withdrawal from an activity –

• Burnout differs from other forms of drop out because -

ExhaustionNegative Attitude

• Burnout is one possible reason for drop out


Burnout and related conditions

• Overtraining‘…a syndrome that results when excessive, usually physical, overload on an athlete occurs without adequate rest’ (US Olympic Committee Task Force cited in Gould and Dieffenbach, 2002 p.25).


Burnout and related conditions

• Staleness‘…a significant performance decrement that persisted for at least two weeks, and that without a doubt was caused by too much physical training (i.e., not by illness or injury)’ (Kentta, Hassmen & Raglin, 2001 p.461).


Signs, Symptoms and Consequences of Burnout*

• Summary of the Burnout Syndrome in Sport

• Early signs – ‘at risk’• Symptoms• Potential consequences• Potential strategies

*Cresswell & Eklund (2003)


The Process

Overtraining

Staleness

Burnout

Dropout


Modern Sport – A burnout ripe climate?

‘Pressure to win and train year round with vigour and intensity has increased dramatically in recent years, due in large part to the tremendous financial rewards, publicity, and status achieved by successful coaches and athletes’.

(Gould and Weinberg, 1999)

Blurring of the season and off season


Models of Burnout

1. Cognitive Affective Stress Model (Smith, 1986)

2. Investment Model (Schmidt & Stein, 1991)

3. Unidimensional Identity Development and

External Control Model (Coakley, 1992)

4. Negative Training Stress Response Model (Silva, 1990)

5. Stress and Recovery Model (Kallus & Kellmann, 2000)

6. Under-recovery and overtraining (Kentta & Hassmen, 1998)


Cognitive Affective Stress Model (Smith, 1986)

Personality and Motivational Factors

Situation

Demands

Resources

Cognitive Appraisal

Of demands Of resources Consequences

Physical Responses

Arousal Activation

Coping Behaviour

Coping efforts Response Behaviours

Situation

High or conflicting demands

Overload

Low social support

Cognitive Appraisal

Perceived overload

Perceived lack of control

Helplessness

Physical Responses

Tension & anger Anxiety & depression Fatigue Insomnia Illness

Coping Behaviour Decreased performance Withdrawal Interpersonal

difficulties Inappropriate behaviour

STRESS

BURNOUT

Stage I Stage IIStage III Stage IV


Investment Model (Schmidt & Stein, 1991)

Conditions Commitment Commitment Dropout

(enjoyment based) (burnout/entrapped)

Rewards Increasing (or high) Decreasing Decreasing

Costs Low Increasing Increasing

Satisfaction High Decreasing Decreasing

Alternatives Low Low Increasing

Investments High High (or Decreasing

increasing)


Unidimensional Identity (Coakley, 1992)

Burnout is a social problem grounded in the

way sport is organised

Identity foreclosure

Loss of autonomy


Negative Training Stress Response Model (Silva, 1990)

• Focused on responses to physical training

• Positive and negative adaptations to training

• Burnout = Negative adaptation

• Continuum notion

Staleness Overtraining Burnout


New Multidimensional Era: Stress & Recovery Model*

• Explains relationship between staleness, overtraining, recovery, stress, burnout, coping, and mood

• Psychological, sociological and physiological framework

• Burnout is a product of accumulating stress without sufficient recovery

*Kallus & Kellmann (2000)


Under-recovery and Overtraining*

• Quality recovery

• Staleness – ‘a severe outcome resulting from the imbalance between total stress and total recovery, which is largely determined by the overall capacity (stress tolerance) of the individual’ (Kentta, 2001, p.41)

Kentta & Hassmen (1998)


Kentta & Hassmen (cont.)

• Psychosociophysiological perspective

• Adaptation/Maladaptation –Stress (training and non-training)

Recovery (quality of)

Stress tolerance (capacity to cope stress)


Monitoring BurnoutSelf-Report Measures • Eades Athlete Burnout Inventory (Eades, 1992) • Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach and

Jackson, 1981) • Athlete Burnout Questionnaire ABQ (Raedeke

and Smith, 2001)

Interviews • Gould et al., (1996a & b, & 1997); Coakley

(1992)


ResearchCoaches, Officials, Directors and Trainers

• Job stress, role ambiguity, social support, role conflict, hardiness, commitment, age, gender, experience

• Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer, Softball, Baseball, Track and Field, Wrestling

• Vast majority of research is of non-elite coaches


Research on CoachesPrice and Weiss (2000) Coach burnout, coaching behaviors, andathletes’ psychological responses

N =193 f soccer players and 15 head coaches (HS)

• Players perceptions of coach behaviour • Impact of coach behaviour on psych outcomes of

athletes (e.g. anxiety, enjoyment and burnout)


ResultsHigh EE = Less training/instruction and social support, and making fewer autocratic decisions.

DP and RPA = not related to coach behaviour

Lower perceived competence and enjoyment, and higher anxiety and burnout, associated with less frequent training/instruction, social support, and positive feedback.

These were generally characteristics of coaches experiencing high levels of burnout.


Vealey, Armstrong and Comar (1998)

Examined the influence of perceived coaching behavior and burnout on competitive anxiety in female college athletes

Findings– Coach burnout was significantly related to perceived

coaching behaviors.– Perceived coaching behavior was predictive of athletes

burnout– Athletes anxiety and athlete burnout were significantly

related


Research

Athletes

• Perfectionism, motivation, commitment, anxiety, coping, parental influence

• Swimming and tennis

• Majority of athletes are North American

• Gould et al (1996 a and b, 1997)


Barriers to Research and Understanding

• Limited empirical base

• No agreed definition

• Lack of valid and reliable assessment tool

• Finding subjects


Interventions

• Gould et al (1996b)– Advice for other players– Advice for parents– Advice for coaches

• Cresswell & Eklund (2003a)– Potential strategies– Personal and organiszational level


Interventions (cont.)Common themes• Identify the early warning signs – prevention

is better than cure• Involve athletes in decision making• Schedule time outs• Quality recovery and management of training

regimes• Utilize athlete input – listen• Coach and parent support• Make it fun – enjoyment is critical• Time and lifestyle management

© 2010 mcgraw-hill higher education. all rights reserved. burnout in sport: understanding the...

Documents

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