Antecedents of burnout among elite dancers: A longitudinal test of basic needs theory
Graphical abstract
Research highlights
► Longitudinal test of basic needs theory framework to examine predictors of burnout. ► Model supports tenets of self-determination theory. ► Autonomy supportive training environments are vital if burnout is to be prevented.
Section snippets
Self-determination theory and burnout
The application of SDT as a framework to explore determinants of athlete burnout is relatively new. Of the work undertaken to date, the focus has leaned towards motivation regulations as direct predictors of athlete burnout. In line with SDT, the over-riding findings from these investigations suggest that burnout is more likely to result when athletes are amotivated and report low levels of self-determined motivation for engagement in their sport (Cresswell and Eklund, 2005a, Cresswell and
Participants and procedures
With the approval of a departmental ethics board at a large UK university, at time one (T1) 614 dancers (453 female, 156 male, 5 gender unspecified) were recruited from full time vocational dance schools within the UK. Dancers in these schools participate in dance and other fitness-related classes for the majority of the school day, five or six days per week. Dancers were asked to complete three questionnaires over an eight month period. 425 dancers completed the time two questionnaire (T2) and
Results
Mean scores indicated that, at T2, the dancers experienced moderate BPNS and perceived their teachers to offer relatively high autonomy support (see Table 1). The mean for T1 global burnout was under the scale’s midpoint. Scrutiny of the ABQ subscale means revealed that the dancers reported low dance devaluation, and emotional and physical exhaustion that was just above the scale midpoint. Repeated Measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) (F (218, 1) = 8.24, p < .001, η2 = .21) indicated
Discussion
Past work, grounded in SDT, has supported the hypothesized associations between motivation regulations and burnout (Cresswell and Eklund, 2005a, Cresswell and Eklund, 2005b, Gould et al., 1996a, Lemyre et al., 2007, Raedeke and Smith, 2001). Recent sport research (Cresswell and Eklund, 2007, Hodge et al., 2008) has shown the relevance of basic needs (Ryan & Deci, 2000) to variability in athlete burnout. These (typically cross-sectional) investigations have neglected to consider the role of
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