Sport and Exercise Psychology University of Birmingham

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The Puzzle of Burnout A Psychological
Perspective
Siobhain McArdle Dublin City University Centre
for Sport Science and Health
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Defined

• Psychological, emotional physical withdrawal
  from a formerly pursued and enjoyable sport as a
  result of excessive stress experienced over time
  (Smith, 1986)

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Burnout Motivation gone out of kilter or a
disaster waiting to happen???
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Adapted from R.E. Smith, 1986, Cognitive-affecti
ve mode of stress burnout, Journal of Sport
Psychology, 8(1), 40.
Personality and Motivational Factors

• Tension Anger
• Anxiety Depression
• Insomnia
• Fatigue
• Susceptibility to Illness

• High or conflicting demands
• Insufficient recovery
• Low social support

• Perceived lack of control
• Perceived lack of
• meaning accomplishment
• Perceptions of
• increased overload

• Decreased Performance
• Interpersonal Difficulties
• Withdrawal from Activity

Situation
Appraisal
Physiologic Response
Coping Task Behaviors
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Structure Organization of Sport programs
Burnout
Loss of control
Structure Organization of the training
environment
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What the research says ..Athletes (Silva, 1990)
Rugby Players (Marshall, 2003)

• CAUSES
• Severe practice conditions
• Lack of recovery
• Boredom
• Frustration with trying to satisfy everybody
• Lack of enjoyment
• Difficulty balancing rugby with outside demands
• Constant injury
• Playing for additional teams
• Inability to say no to coaches

• SYMPTOMS
• Loss of interest
• Extreme physical emotional exhaustion
• Lack of caring
• Anger
• Tension
• Perceived Overload

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Treatment and Prevention
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ENVIRONMENT
Person
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Treatment PreventionIndividual Level

• Player Self-Monitoring
• Player must first recognize he is suffering from
  overtraining and communicate his concerns to the
  coach
• Educate the player

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Treatment PreventionIndividual Level

• What the player should be aware of
• Increase in perceived effort in training
• Physical mental exhaustion
• Mood changes highs lows
• Concentration problems
• Loss of desire to play/lack of caring
• Sleep disturbance

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Treatment PreventionIndividual Level
Recovery
Physical (restoration)
Medical (rehabilitation)
Psychological (regeneration)
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Treatment PreventionEnvironment

• Coach Awareness
• Fatigue
• Skill execution decision making
• Fatigue (is expressed by the quality of both)
• Performance variation

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Treatment PreventionEnvironment

• Coaching Behaviour
• Communication
• Emphasis on development of the player vs. winning
• Work with players to set individual short term
  long-term goals
• Positive instruction and feedback directed toward
  goals

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Treatment Prevention Environment

• Role clarity, role importance
• Each player should understand how his role
  effects his team mate

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Treatment Prevention Environment

• Increase perceptions of autonomy
• Education
• Athletes have access to the knowledge needed to
  make informed choices
• Encourage good communication
• Encourage feedback from the players as a group

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Questions?????

• Athlete Centred Approach
• Person first
• Athlete Second