| 1. |
- Gustafsson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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A qualitative analysis of burnout in elite Swedish athletes
- 2008
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Ingår i: Psychology of Sport And Exercise. - : Elsevier. - 1469-0292 .- 1878-5476. ; 9:6, s. 800-816
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To extend the understanding of burnout in elite athletes, including personal experiences and perceived antecedents.Design and Methods: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 Swedish 22- to 26-year-old elite athletes who had quit sport due to burnout. The interview transcripts were inductively analyzed using qualitative conten tanalysis.Results: The findings support the notion of athlete burnout as a multidimensional syndrome. While stressors like multiple demands, ‘‘too much sport,’’ lack of recovery and high expectations were considered primary causes of burnout by the respondents, high motivation, unidimensional athletic identity, self-esteem strivings, high ego goals, negative perfectionist traits and feelings of entrapment were also found to be critical contributors. These restraining factors explained why the athletes continued their participation in sport despite a progressive worsening of their condition, and are therefore potentially crucial in the development of burnout.Conclusion: Athlete burnout appears to be a complex interaction of multiple stressors, inadequate recovery and frustration from unfulfilled expectations, which is explained partly by maladaptive perfectionist traits and goals. This process is fuelled by a strong drive to validate self-worth, sometimes in conjunction with feelings of entrapment.
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| 2. |
- Gustafsson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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An elite endurance athlete's recovery from underperformance aided by a multidisciplinary sport science support team
- 2008
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Ingår i: European Journal of Sport Science. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1746-1391 .- 1536-7290. ; 8:5, s. 267-276
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Overload training resulting in an overreached state is common in elite sports, and if undetected can develop into an overtraining syndrome. This risk is accentuated by the lack of reliable measures of overreaching. Coaches and scientists therefore have to use a combination of tests in the monitoring process. This article presents a case study of the recovery from underperformance of a young elite endurance athlete and the work of a multidisciplinary sport science support team. When it was determined that the athlete's performance had deteriorated, and that this was due solely to the stress of training, training load was radically reduced for a period of 14 days. A combination of physiological, biochemical, and psychological measurements were then used to monitor the recovery process. The purpose of this article is to describe how coaches and sport science teams can help in monitoring training and recovery in practical settings, allowing detection of the early signs of overreaching before a more serious overtraining syndrome develops.
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| 3. |
- Gustafsson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Athlete burnout : an integrated model and future research directions
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. - : Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. - 1750-984X .- 1750-9858. ; 4:1, s. 3-24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Athlete burnout is a multifaceted phenomenon. As a consequence, several attempts have been made to describe it from both a process and a state perspective. A number of theories and models exist that deal with the process of burning out and/or its antecedents. When viewed separately, the presented findings may be perceived as contradicting each other, or at best as confusing. To advance the field, we offer a comprehensive review of what is presently known within the area of athlete burnout and what new knowledge is needed. Furthermore, we suggest an integrated model of athlete burnout. This model includes major antecedents, early signs, consequences, and factors related to personality, coping and the environment. Our purpose is not to present the definitive model but to create a conceptual understanding of the field as it is seen today, and thereby stimulate empirical research to further advance the knowledge base.
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| 4. |
- Gustafsson, Henrik, 1974-
(författare)
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Burnout in competitive and elite athletes
- 2007
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Intensified training regimes and increasing competitive pressure make some athletes leave sports with shattered hopes and dreams. A number of these athletes drop out of sports due to burnout, which is characterized by an enduring experience of emotional and physical exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment and devaluation of sport participation as a consequence of prolonged chronic stress. Loss of engagement and diminished motivation also characterize burnout. But burnout is more than just a simple stress reaction, as not all athletes who experience stress burn out. Study I investigates the prevalence of burnout among competitive athletes. The number of athletes showing high levels of burnout was found to be between 1 and 9%. The number of athletes suffering from severe burnout was estimated at 1-2%. Contrary to what has been speculated, burnout was not more common in individual sports than in team sports. Study II investigated the burnout process using a case-study approach. It was found that burnout can evolve with different levels of severity, time perspectives and characteristics. There appears to be a relationship between overtraining syndrome and burnout, and the study gave support to the notion that burnout is the most severe outcome on the training fatigue continuum. Early success might lead to high expectations and an inner pressure to train, which in the three cases made the athletes ignore signs of maladaptation. Performance-based self-esteem appears to be a “driving force” in the burnout process. In Study III the burnout experience was investigated using qualitative interviews. Lack of recovery, “too much sports” and high external demands were described as causes of burnout. A stressful situation with multiple demands from sport, school and social relationships leads to a total overload, which has both physiological and psychological consequences. Critical factors were a unidimensional identity, performance-based self-esteem, an inflexible organization and feelings of entrapment. These restraining factors made the athletes remain in sports despite negative outcomes. Thus the three studies indicate that burnout is a serious problem in competitive and elite sports, that restraining factors offer an explanation for why athletes remain in sport despite negative outcomes, and that striving for self-esteem is crucial in the development of burnout.
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| 5. |
- Gustafsson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring the relationship between hope and burnout in competitive sport
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Sports Sciences. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0264-0414 .- 1466-447X. ; 28:14, s. 1495-1504
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Researchers have postulated that hope may be an important factor associated with burnout. Consistent with hope theory contentions, low-hope individuals may be susceptible to burnout because they are prone to experience goal blockage, frustration, and negative affect, all of which likely increase the risk of burnout. We examined the relationship between hope and athlete burnout among 178 competitive athletes (63 females and 115 males) aged 15-20 years. Hope was significantly and negatively correlated with all three burnout subscales: emotional/physical exhaustion, a reduced sense of accomplishment, and sport devaluation. Moreover, results of a multivariate analysis of variance showed that low-hope athletes scored significantly higher than medium- and high-hope athletes on all three burnout dimensions. Finally, results revealed that agency thinking was a significant predictor of all burnout dimensions. Frustration over unmet goals and a perceived lack of agency, a characteristic of low-hope athletes, might pose a risk factor in athlete burnout, whereas being able to maintain hope appears to be associated with health and well-being.
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| 6. |
- Gustafsson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of burnout in competitive adolescent athletes
- 2007
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Ingår i: The Sport psychologist. - : Human Kinetics. - 0888-4781 .- 1543-2793. ; 21:1, s. 21-37
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study examined the factorial validity of the Eades Burnout Inventory (EABI) and the prevalence of burnout in adolescent elite athletes and whether burnout is more common in individual sports than in team sports. The EABI was distributed to 980 athletes (402 females and 578 males) in 29 different sports. Confirmatory-factor analyses revealed an acceptable factorial validity for a theoretically supported four-factor model of the EABI. Between 1% and 9% of the athletes displayed elevated burnout scores on these four subscales. The hypothesis of higher prevalence of burnout in individual sports was, however, not supported. Furthermore, no correlation between training load and burnout scores was found. These findings suggest that factors other than training load must be considered when athletes at risk for burnout are investigated.
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| 7. |
- Gustafsson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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The process of burnout : A multiple case study of three elite endurance athletes
- 2007
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Ingår i: International Journal of Sport Psychology. - : Edizioni Luigi Pozzi srl. - 0047-0767. ; 38:4, s. 388-416
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the process of burning out in endurance athletes. The experiences of three elite cross-country skiers who left Their sport due to burnout were explored. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and inductively analyzed. The Athlete Burnout Questionnaire and training logs were used to validate the interviews and to enrich the analysis. The burnout process was found to evolve with different severity and time perspectives in the three cases. Athletic identity and achievement strivings to validate self-esteem were found to be important driving forces in the burnout process. Also, chronic lack of mental and physical recovery as well as early skiing success leading to high expectations comprised common themes in the burnout process.
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| 8. |
- Hassmén, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Burnout symptoms and recovery processes in eight elite soccer coaches over 10 years
- 2019
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Ingår i: International journal of sports science & coaching. - : Sage Publications. - 1747-9541 .- 2048-397X. ; 14:4, s. 431-443
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Elite sport can be stressful, which increases the risk for burnout symptoms to develop. Especially when not balanced with sufficient recovery. To study the burnout–recovery process, eight elite soccer coaches were followed for 10 years. All eight were active elite coaches at the inception of this study and reported elevated emotional exhaustion scores on Maslach’s Burnout Inventory Educators Survey (MBI-ES). The coaches completed MBI-ES three additional times (year 3, 7, and 10), and they were also interviewed on the same occasions. At the 3-year follow-up, seven of the eight coaches reduced their exhaustion scores. The coach presenting with unchanged scores both at the 3 - and 7-year follow-up was the only one still coaching at the elite level. All coaches revealed during the interviews that they struggled to manage their work–life balance well; some worked too many hours, some experienced difficulty in managing conflicting role-demands, and some wrestled with external pressures. Their approach to recovery was, however, similar. Apart from moving away from coaching at the elite level, they unanimously mentioned that they changed their approach to coaching to make recovery possible. They achieved the latter by, for example, increasing control and delegating responsibility. According to our longitudinal results, burnout frequently regarded as an end-state can decrease over time. Provided that decisive action is taken to change situational factors and personal demands. This frequently meant withdrawing from coaching, which in turn explains why coach retention remains a serious challenge for most organizations with teams/athletes competing at the elite level. © The Author(s) 2019.
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| 9. |
- Hjälm, Sören, 1957-, et al.
(författare)
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Burnout among elite soccer coaches
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Sport Behavior. - 0162-7341. ; 30:4, s. 415-427
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Burnout was investigated in a population of men coaching either men or women at the elite club level in Sweden. Out of 53 presently active top-level soccer coaches, 47 volunteered to participate. Results indicate that 71% of the coaches in the Premier league for women, compared to 23% of the coaches in the Premier league for men, experienced moderate to high levels of Emotional Exhaustion as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory. One possible explanation for this difference is that only 10% of the coaches responsible for teams in the Premier league for women had full time appointments, as compared to all coaches responsible for teams in the Premier league for men. The latter group also had more support staff, on average six people, whereas those coaching women only had four people available. In addition, leadership demands seem to vary between female and male teams, which together with less support and time-constraints place coaches in the Premier league for women at a relatively higher risk for burnout than coaches in the Premier league for men.
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| 10. |
- Hjälm, Sören, 1957-
(författare)
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Utbrändhet och återhämtning bland elitfotbollstränare
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Only a small number of studies dealing with burnout among coaches have been published, and none of these have dealt with burnout among elite soccer coaches in a European context. This thesis – investigating both the burnout and recovery process – includes a longitudinal design spanning ten years. Out of 53 head coaches, from elite soccer teams in Sweden, 47 participated in study 1. Results showed that burnout scores assessed by Maslachs Burnout Inventory (MBI) were generally low, but coaches in women’s premier league showed significantly higher levels of emotional exhaustion than coaches in men’s soccer teams. A sub-sample of these 47 coaches was interviewed for study 2, namely those 8 reporting the highest MBI scores. Characteristics of the elite coach professions personality traits and the allover life situation of the coach were identified as risk factors for developing burnout, as well as some retention factors, risking to create detention effects which might worsen the stress levels of the coach. In study 3 and 4, the burnout and recovery processes were examined, respectively. On the basis of descriptions from the coaches, three separate phases are discerned from the burnout process: a phase of restlessness and annoyance, a fatigue phase and finally a phase of exhaustion and burnout, while it is possible to make out four phases in the recovery process: a wake-up process, a phase removing one-self, a phase of reflection and evaluation, and finally a phase of new-orienting one-self. Study 5 revealed that both energy cost reducing strategies and energy boosting activities, were used by the coaches to prevent burnout. Study 6 showed that lack of sufficient recovery periods inhibited a lowering of the burnout levels, but also that lack of adequate coping strategies slowed the recovery process and also that coaches who have experienced burnout have an impaired professional efficiency. Finally, the focus in study 7 was on longterm consequences of burning out. Increased fatigue, diseases, cognitive impairment and a lower stress tolerance were examples of negative consequences, whereas an improved ability to identify stress causes and an enhanced awareness about one’s stress reactions, as well as to reflect and prioritize health, were examples of positive and favourable consequences. It is also urgent that elite clubs strive to create a good psycho-social work environment, which will function as a buffer against stress.
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