european college of sport science

RISKS FACTORS FOR BURNOUT AMONG ELITE ADOLESCENT HANDBALL PLAYERS
GAUTHEUR, S., GUILLET, E.
UNIVERSITÉ CLAUDE BERNARD LYON 1
OP-PS02 Psychology 2
Introduction: The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of self-determined motivation, anxiety and self-confidence on athlete
burnout (Raedeke, 1997) in young elite handball players. A theoretical model based on the Self Determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2002)
was proposed to analyse these relationships. This model postulates that the least self-determined forms of motivation might lead to
serious negatives consequences, such as lower self-confidence, higher anxiety, lower vitality, higher burnout and higher intentions to
dropout.
It was hypothesized that an athlete with lower self-determined motivation would have higher anxiety, lower self-confidence, lower vitality,
higher intentions to dropout, and would report higher risks to burnout at season’s end.
Method: A sample of 309 French handball players (152 males and 157 females) participated in this study. They trained an average of 11
hours a week (SD = 3.5). Their average age was 15.4 years (SD = .90) and the average playing experience in their sport was 6.8 years (SD
= 2.4). 62.1% were playing at a national level.
These athletes completed a questionnaire twice during the season, measuring: (a) sport motivation (EMS; Brière, Vallerand, Blais &
Pelletier, 1995), (b) anxiety and self-confidence (EEAC; Cury, Sarrazin, Pérès & Famose, 1999), (c) subjective vitality (SSV; Ryan & Frederick,
1997), (d) future sport intentions (Sarrazin, Vallerand & Guillet, 2002), and (e) athlete burnout (ABQ; Raedeke & Smith, 2001).
Results / Discussion: A structural equation model (χ²/df = 2.18, RMSEA = .06, CFI = .95, NFI = .90) revealed that self-determination
has (1) a mediating and (2) direct influence on burnout. (1) A player with lower self-determined motivation, higher anxiety, lower selfconfidence,
lower vitality at the beginning of the season, expressed feeling a lack of accomplishment at season’s end. A player with
lower vitality, higher intentions to dropout at the beginning of the season, had higher tendencies to devalue handball at the season’s end.
These findings bring new elements to light in our understanding of the athlete burnout. (2) A player with lower self-determined motivation
at the beginning of the season reported higher symptoms of burnout at the end of the season. These results confirm previous study
findings in that lower self-determined motivation increases the risk of burnout in young elite athletes.
References
Raedeke, T. D. (1997). Is athlete burnout more than just stress? A sport commitment perspective. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology,
19, 396-417.
Raedeke, T. D., & Smith, A. L. (2001). Development and preliminary validation of an athlete burnout measure. Journal of Sport and Exercise
Psychology, 23, 281-306.
DROPPING OUT OF ORGANIZED SPORT OR STAYING IN? A PROSPECTIVE STUDY ON THE INFLUENCE OF PSYCHOSO-
CIAL FACTORS
OMMUNDSEN, Y., ROBERTS, G.C., MILLER, B.W., SISJORD, M.K., FASTING, K., SØRENSEN, M.
NORWEGIAN SCHOOL OF SPORT SCIENCES
Introduction: Participation in organized youth sport across childhood and adolescence increase the likelihood of being physically active in
adulthood (Telama et al 2006). Hence, preventing young people from dropping out of organized sport may be seen as an important
health promotion strategy.
Study purpose
To examine the influence of a theoretically informed set of environmental and personal factors on young athletes’ dropout from organized
sport.
Method: Prospective design including a sample of 698 athletes aged 12-16 years from different sports who provided T 1 (early season)
data and responses regarding their participation status the following sport season (T 2). T 1 predictors comprised perceptions of the sport
environment, cognitive mediators of motivation and persistence, regulation of motivation and affect.
Results: Direct logistic regression helped assess the impact of predictor variable set on the likelihood of next season dropout. The full
model containing all predictors was statistically significant, X2 (13, N= 678) = 68,23, p