Burnout in Sport: Understanding the Process: From Early Warning Signs to Individualized Intervention

1. Chapter 22 Burnout in Sport: Understanding the Process: From Early Warning Signs to Individualized Intervention Kate Goodger, David Lavallee, Trish Gorely, & Chris Harwood “…a candle which once glowed brightly, began to flicker, and eventually extinguished” (Raedeke et al, 2002, p.182)

2. 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)

3. Lecture Outline • What is burnout? • Burnout, dropout, overtraining and staleness • Theories of burnout • Burnout research • Interventions

4. Defining Burnout …not an easy task ‘…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).

5. 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).

6. 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

7. Understanding the language • Dropout • Overtraining • Staleness • Burnout They are related but are not the same

8. Dropout • Withdrawal from an activity – • Burnout differs from other forms of drop out because - • Exhaustion • Negative Attitude • Burnout is one possible reason for drop out

9. 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).

10. 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).

11. 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)

12. TheProcess Overtraining Staleness Burnout Dropout

13. 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

14. 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 RecoveryModel (Kallus & Kellmann, 2000) 6. Under-recovery and overtraining (Kentta & Hassmen, 1998)

15. Cognitive Affective Stress Model (Smith, 1986) Personality and Motivational Factors STRESS Situation Demands Resources Cognitive Appraisal Of demands Of resources Consequences Physical Responses Arousal Activation Coping Behaviour Coping efforts Response Behaviours BURNOUT 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 Stage I Stage II Stage III Stage IV

16. 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)

17. Unidimensional Identity (Coakley, 1992) Burnout is a social problem grounded in the way sport is organised Identity foreclosure Loss of autonomy

18. 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

19. 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)

20. 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)

21. Kentta & Hassmen (cont.) • Psychosociophysiological perspective • Adaptation/Maladaptation – Stress (training and non-training) Recovery (quality of) Stress tolerance (capacity to cope stress)

22. Monitoring Burnout Self-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)

23. Research • Coaches, 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

24. Research on Coaches Price and Weiss (2000) Coach burnout, coaching behaviors, and athletes’ 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)

25. Results High 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.

26. 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

27. 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)

28. Barriers to Research andUnderstanding • Limited empirical base • No agreed definition • Lack of valid and reliable assessment tool • Finding subjects

29. Interventions • Gould et al (1996b) • Advice for other players • Advice for parents • Advice for coaches • Cresswell & Eklund (2003a) • Potential strategies • Personal and organiszational level

30. 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