An Examination of a Burnout Model in Basketball Coaches

Abstract

IntroductionH.J. Freudenberger (1974) first studied the burnout concept in the called helping and described it as a physical and behavioural syndrome. Later, Maslach (1976) extended the significance of the term and described burnout as a multidimensional syndrome which is revealed with feelings of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment; afflicting professionals of various fields. The main characteristics of these professions are stressful periods and extended interpersonal relations.Coaching in sports and games because of the long season is a particularly stressful profession and the pressure to win can lead coaches directly to burnout. The first studies regarding burnout, correlated demographical (e.g. individual or team sports, age), situational (e.g. work overload, professional or support, conflict of role), and dispositional characteristics (e.g. hardiness, leadership style, competitive trait anxiety) with the frequency and intensity of burnout (Caccese & Mayerberg, 1984; Capel, et al., 1987; Dale & Weinberg, 1989; Hunt, 1984; Kelley & Gill, 1993; Kelley, et al., 1999; Martin, et al., 1999).A very important study regarding burnout in the athletic environment is that of Smith (1986), which based on previous conclusions tried to summarize the knowledge for the nature, causes and consequences of burnout, within a cognitive-affective model. Smith underlined the parallel situational, cognitional, psychological and behavioural components of and burnout. He also supported that the individual differences of personality and motives, affected all the consequent components of and burnout. Many researchers supported their research efforts on this model, while others tried to confirm it.Kelley (1990), based on Smiths' model examined various personal/situational factors on a simple stressmediation model of burnout among basketball N.C.A.A. and N.A.I.A. teacher-coaches. Independent variables were coaching experience, gender, coaching problems, coaching and social support; the of stress was mediator variable, and the three dimensions of burnout were dependent variables. The results revealed that basketball coaches reported moderate and high levels in all burnout dimensions. Also, through this model, it was widely supported that, support, issues and lead to higher levels of perception, which consequently predicted higher levels of burnout.Based on the previous study Kelley and Gill (1993) examined an expanded model with a sample of baseball and softball male (N=131) and female (N=118) coaches, at the beginning and at the end of the season. Researchers added the personal factor of to the prediction variables and compared the new data with those of the previous study. The results of path analysis confirmed the previous model. Coaches with lower levels of hardiness and higher concerns on issues, reported higher levels of perceived and consequently higher professional burnout, while the high levels of perceived and burnout were correlated with lower levels of support. Winning percentage was not connected with appraisal, while both of male and female coaches suffered from moderate levels of burnout.Another two investigations of Kelley et al., (1999), and Martin et al. (1999), on and burnout models, confirmed all previous investigations and totally supported the following results: (a) support functions as moderator of and burnout, and (b) is a direct predictor of all burnout dimensions.Conclusively, Kelley's initial studies (1990, 1994, 1999), supported the utilization of simple mediation models for the understanding of the burnout syndrome in environment. However, additional evaluation of this perception is further imposed. …