Sport programming, self-perceptions, and burnout among adolescent female athletes

This study investigated the relationships among sport programming, self-perceptions, and burnout of adolescent female athletes. One hundred seventy five student athletes from three states participated in this study. Four different sports were represented. All participants completed a sport participation profile, the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ), and items from the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (SPPA). The study utilized recommendations of previous researchers to examine both the breadth and intensity of current sport participation. An athlete's sport history in terms of diversification and specialization factors was also examined. The study focused on four main areas. The first area was the extent to which current sport participation and sport history predicted self-perceptions, while controlling for feelings of entrapment, perceived sport success, and total workload. The second area examined the relationships between current sport participation, sport history, and burnout, while controlling for feelings of entrapment and total workload. The third area examined the relationships between self-perceptions and burnout, while controlling for feelings of entrapment and total workload. The fourth area under investigation was the association between participation type, self-perceptions, and burnout. This investigation revealed that, when controlling for motivational factors and total workload, type of sport program impacted self-perceptions only in terms of athletic competence and, in one case, physical appearance. Relating to sport programming and burnout, year-long participation in a sport played a major role in the athlete's view and value in that sport. Hours spent also had a significant impact on the athlete's feelings of physical and emotional exhaustion. Relating to self-perceptions and burnout, an athlete's global self-worth was significantly related to two of the three burnout subscales, while athletic competence was inversely related to the reduced sense of accomplishment subscale. A striking finding was the global impact of perceived sport success on self-perceptions. Equally compelling was the significant presence of entrapment as a significant predictor of social competence and the burnout syndrome. Finally, the athletes competing for both their club and high school scored higher than the athletes who just competed for their club on all three burnout scales. Implications for school psychologists, limitations of this investigation, and future suggested areas of investigation were discussed.