| Abstract | Objective: According to the Association for Applied Sports Psychology, 47% of individuals who compete in athletics reported feeling burned out at some point in their athletic career (Silva, 1990). The purpose of the current study was to examine athlete demographics, sport commitment, and injury in relation to burnout amongst collegiate, elite, and Olympic level male and female gymnasts. Design: This survey study design consisted of participants completing a series of demographic questions, the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ), and the Sport Commitment Model Scale. After completion of the survey, a data analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between variables. Setting: This survey took place online via Qualtrics. Participants: 152 gymnasts (female = 102, male = 50). Main Outcome Measures: The percentage of participants experiencing symptoms of burnout and the potential contributors. Results: 17.76% of participants were experiencing burnout in one dimension at the time of the survey. There was a negligible correlation, but significant relation between burnout and the number of hours trained in (r = .282, p = .001) and out (r =.237, p = .004) of season. In addition, 48.1% of currently injured gymnasts were experiencing symptoms of burnout in one or more dimensions, however it was a negligible correlation (r = .237, p = .004). Conclusion: Understanding the effects of burnout in athletes is essential to successfully identifying the characteristics of burnout to help athletes and coaches identify interventions to improve sport enjoyment and competition at the highest level. Although the study had limited moderate to high correlations, results were significant and further research should be conducted. |
