Perspective taking as a predictor of burnout among competitive adolescent squash players
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36386/sajrsper.v45i2.180Keywords:
perspective taking, sense of self, athlete burnout, youth sport, adolescenceAbstract
Athlete burnout (ABO) has been identified as a significant concern among youth sportspeople. Conceptualisations of self, or perspective taking, predict mental health among non-athlete adolescents. Consequently, this study aimed to determine how much perspective-taking contributes to ABO among adolescent athletes. A non-experimental correlational design was employed to explore the utility of a three selves model of perspective-taking to predict ABO. One-hundred and sixty-five competitive adolescent squash players were recruited via convenience sampling. Participants completed measures of ABO, Self-as-Content, Self-as-Process and Self-as-Context. Regression analyses were employed to determine the utility of the three-selves model in predicting ABO in the sample. All components of ABO were positively associated with Self-as-Content, and negatively correlated with Self-as-Process and Self-as-Context. Furthermore, Self-as-Content independently predicted a reduced sense of athletic accomplishment and greater sport devaluation. Reduced physical and emotional exhaustion was only predicted by Self-as-Process. Contrary to existing theoretical and empirical literature, Self-as-Context only emerged as a significant predictor of a reduced sense of athletic accomplishment. The current study suggests that perspective-taking plays a noteworthy, yet complex, role in the experience of ABO among competitive adolescent athletes.
References
APPLETON, P.R.; HALL, H.K. & HILL, A.P. (2009). Relations between multidimensional perfectionism and burnout in junior-elite male athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 10(4): 457-465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2008.12.006
APPLETON, P.R. & HILL, A.P. (2012). Perfectionism and athlete burnout in junior elite athletes: The mediating role of motivation regulations. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 6(2): 129-145. https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.6.2.129
ATKINS, P. & STYLES, R. (2016). Measuring self and rules in what people say: Exploring whether self-discrimination predicts long-term wellbeing. Journal of Contextual Behavioural Sciences, 5(2): 71-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2016.05.001
BARNES-HOLMES, Y.; FOODY, M. & BARNES-HOLMES, D. (2013). Advances in research on deictic relations and perspective-taking. In S. Dymond, & B. Roche (Eds.), Advances in Relational Frame Theory: Research and application. Oakland, CA: Context Press.
BREWER, B.W. & PETITPAS, A.J. (2017). Athletic identity foreclosure. Current Opinion in Psychology, 16: 118-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.05.004
BREWER, B.W.; VAN RAALTE, J.L. & LINDER, D.E. (1993). Athletic identity: Hercules muscles or Achilles heel? International Journal of Sport Psychology, 24(2): 237-254.
CHANG, W.H.; WU, C.; KUO, C. & CHEN, L.H. (2018). The role of athletic identity in the development of athlete burnout: The moderating role of psychological flexibility. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 39: 45-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.07.014
COLEMAN, J. (2011). The nature of adolescence. London, UK: Routledge.
DEFREESE, J.D.; DORSCH, T.E. & FLITTON, T.A. (2018). The parent-child relationship and sport parents’ experiences of burnout and engagement. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 12(2): 218-233. https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2017-0006
DEFREESE, J.D. & SMITH, A.L. (2014). Athlete social support, negative social interactions, and psychological health across a competitive sport season. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 36(6): 619-630. https:// doi: 10.1123/jsep.2014-0040.
DIFIORI, J.P.; BENJAMIN, H.J.; BRENNER, J.S.; GREGORY, A.; JAYANTHI, N.; LANDRY, G.L. & LUKE, A. (2014). Overuse injuries and burnout in youth sports: A position statement from the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(4): 287-288. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2013-093299
EKLUND, R.C. & DEFREESE, J.D. (2015). Athlete burnout: What we know, what we could know, and how we can find out more. International Journal of Applied Sports Sciences, 27(2): 63-75. https://doi.org/10.24985/ijass.2015.27.2.63
FOODY, M.; BARNES-HOLMES, Y. & BARNES-HOLMES, D. (2012). The role of self in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. In L. McHugh, & I. Stewart (Eds.), The self and perspective taking: Contributions and applications from modern behavioural science (pp. 125-142). Oakland, CA: Context Press.
FRESCO, D.M.; MOORE, M.T.; VAN DULMEN, M.H.; SEGAL, Z.V.; MA, S.H.; TEASDALE, J.D. & WILLIAMS, J.M. (2007). Initial psychometric properties of the experiences questionnaire: Validation of a self-report measure of decentering. Behavior Therapy, 38(3): 234-246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2006.08.003
GERBER, M.; GUSTAFSSON, H.; SEELIG, H.; KELLMANN, M.; LUDYGA, S.; COLEDGE, F.; BRAND, S.; ISOARD-GAUTHEUR, S. & BIANCHI, R. (2018). Usefulness of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) as a screening tool for the detection of clinically relevant burnout symptoms among elite athletes. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 39(1): 104-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.08.005.
GIUSTI, N.E.; CARDER, S.L.; VOPAT, L.; BAKER, J.; TARAKEMEH, A.; VOPAT, B. & MULCAHEY, M.K. (2020). Comparing burnout in sport-specializing versus sport-sampling adolescent athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 8(3): 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1177/2325967120907579
GRANZ, H.L.; SCHNELL, A.; MAYER, J. & THIEL, A. (2019). Risk profiles for athlete burnout in adolescent elite athletes: A classification analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 41: 130-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.11.005
GRECO, L.; BAER, R.A. & SMITH, G.T. (2011). Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the child and adolescent mindfulness measure (CAMM). Psychological Assessment, 23(3): 606-614. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022819
GUSTAFSSON, H.; DEFREESE, J.D. & MADIGAN, D. (2017). Athlete burnout: Review and recommendations. Current Opinion in Psychology, 16: 109-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.05.002
GUSTAFSSON, H.; KENTTÄ, G.; HASSMÉN, P. & LUNDQVIST, C. (2007). Prevalence of burnout in adolescent competitive athletes. The Sport Psychologist, 21(1): 21-37. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022819
GUSTAFSSON, H.; KENTTÄ, G. & HASSMÉN, P. (2011). Athlete burnout: An integrated model and future research directions. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 4(1): 3-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984x.2010.541927
GUSTAFSSON, H.; MARTINENT, G.; ISOARD-GAUTHEUR, S.; HASSMÉN, P. & GUILLET-DESCAS, E. (2018). Performance based self-esteem and athlete-identity in athlete burnout: A person-centered approach. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 38: 56-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.05.017
GUSTAFSSON, H.; SAGAR, S. S. & STENLING A. (2017). Fear of failure, psychological stress, and burnout among adolescent athletes competing in high level sport. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 27(12): 2091-2102. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12797
GUSTAFSSON, H. & SKOOG, T. (2012). The mediational role of perceived stress in the relation between optimism and burnout in competitive athletes. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 25(2): 183-199. https://doi.org/10.108/10615806.2011.594045
GUSTAFSSON, H.; SKOOG, T.; DAVIS, P.; KENTTÄ, G. & HABERL, P. (2015). Mindfulness and its relationship with perceived stress, affect, and burnout in elite junior athletes. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 9(3): 263-281. https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2014-0051
HARRIS, B.S. & WATSON, J.C. (2011). Assessing youth sport burnout: A self-determination and identity development perspective. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 5(2): 117-133. https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.5.2.117
HAYES, S.C. (1995). Knowing selves. The Behavior Therapist, 18: 94-96.
HAYES, S.C.; BARNES-HOLMES, D. & ROCHE, B. (2001). Relational frame theory: A post-Skinnerian account of human language and cognition. New York: Plenum. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2407(02)80063-5
HAYES, S.C.; STROSAHL, K.D. & WILSON, K.G. (2012). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The process and practice of mindful change (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
HILIARD, R.C.; BLOM L.; HANKEMEIER, D. & BOLIN, J. (2017). Exploring the relationship between athletic identity and beliefs about rehabilitation over adherence in college athletes. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 26(3): 208-220. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsr.2015-0134
IBM CORP. Released 2020. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.
ISOARD-GAUTHEUR, S.; GUILLET-DESCAS, E. & GUSTAFSSON, H. (2016). Athlete burnout and the risk of dropout among young elite handball players. The Sport Psychologist, 30(2): 123-130. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2014-0140
JOUPER, J. & GUSTAFSSON, H. (2013). Mindful recovery: A case study of a burned out elite shooter. Sport Psychologist, 27(1): 92-102. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.27.1.92
KABAT-ZINN, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2): 144-156. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.bpg016
LEMYRE, P.; TREASURE, D. & ROBERTS, G. (2006). Influence of variability in motivation and affect on elite athlete burnout susceptibility. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 28(1): 32-48. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.28.1.32
LONSDALE, C. & HODGE, K. (2011). Temporal ordering of motivational quality and athlete burnout in elite sport. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(5): 913-921. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181ff56c6
MADIGAN, D.J. (2021). Diagnosing problems, prescribing solutions, and advancing athlete burnout research. In Z. Zenko, & L. Jones (Eds.), Essentials of exercise and sport psychology: An open access textbook (pp. 664-682). Society for Transparency, Openness, and Replication in Kinesiology. https://doi.org/10.51224/B1028
MADIGAN, D.J.; RUMBOLD, J.L.; GERBER, M. & NICHOLLS, A.R. (2020). Coping tendencies and changes in athlete burnout over time. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 48: 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101666
MARKATI, A.; PSYCHOUNTAKIE, M.; KINGSTON, K.; KARTEROLIOTOS, K. & APOSTOLIDIS, N. (2019). Psychological and situational determinants of burnout in adolescent athletes. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 17(5): 521-536. https://doi.org/10/1080/1612197X.2017.1421680
MARSHALL, S.; PARKER, P.; CIARROCHI, J.; SAHDRA, B.; JACKSON, C. & HEAVEN, P. (2015). Self compassion protects against the negative effects of low self-esteem: A longitudinal study in a large adolescent sample. Personality and Individual Differences, 74: 116-121. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.09.013
MARTIN, E.M. & HORN, T.S. (2013). The role of athletic identity and passion in predicting burnout in adolescent female athletes. The Sport Psychologist, 27(4): 338-348. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.27.4.338
MCHUGH, L. (2015). A contextual behavioural science approach to the self and perspective taking. Current Opinion in Psychology, 2(1): 6-10. https://doi.org/10.10.1016/jcopsyc.2014.12.03
MCHUGH, L.; BARNES-HOLMES, Y. & BARNES-HOLMES, D. (2012). Perspective-taking as relational responding: A developmental profile. The Psychological Record, 54(1): 115-144. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395465
MCHUGH, L.; STEWART, I. & ALMADA, P. (2019). A contextual behavioral guide to the self: Theory and practice. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
MORAN, O.; ALMADA, P. & MCHUGH, L. (2018). An investigation into the relationship between the three selves (Self-as-Content, Self-as-Process and Self-as-Context) and mental health in adolescents. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 7: 55-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2018.01.002
MORAN, O. & MCHUGH, L. (2019). Patterns of relational responding and a healthy self in older adolescents. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 12: 74-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2019.02.002
NOETEL, M.; CIARROCHI, J.; VAN ZANDEN, B. & LONSDALE, C. (2019). Mindfulness and acceptance approaches to sporting performance enhancement: A systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 12(1): 139-175. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2017.1387803
PONTEROTTO, J.G. & RUCKDESCHEL, D.E. (2007). An overview of coefficient Alpha and a reliability matrix for estimating adequacy of internal consistency with psychological research measures. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 105(3): 997-1014 https://doi.org/10/2466/pms.105.3.997-1014
RAD, L.S. & GHALENOEI, M. (2013). The relationship between leadership behaviour and burnout among coaches and athletes. European Journal of Experimental Biology, 3(3): 195-205.
RAEDEKE, T.D. & SMITH, A.L. (2001). Development and preliminary validation of an athlete burnout measure. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 23(4): 281-306. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.23.4.281
RAEDEKE, T. & SMITH, A. (2009). The Athlete Burnout Questionnaire manual. Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.
RAES, F.; POMMIER, E.; NEFF, K. D. & VAN GUCHT, D. (2011). Construction and factorial validation of a short form of the Self-Compassion Scale. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 18(3): 250-255. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.702
RUSSELL, W. (2021). An examination of sport motivation, motivational climate, and athlete burnout within the developmental model of sport participation. Journal of Amateur Sport, 7(1): 1-19. https://doi.org/10.17161/jas.v7i1.14558
TABACHNICK, B. G. & FIDELL, L. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
TURTON, R.; GOODWIN, H. & MEYER, C. (2017). Athletic identity, compulsive exercise and eating psychopathology in long-distance runners. Eating Behaviors, 26: 129-132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2017.03.001
WALKER, S.P. (2013). Mindfulness and burnout among competitive adolescent tennis players. South African Journal of Sports Medicine, 25(4): 105-108. https://doi.org/10.7196/SAJSM.498
WALKER, S.P. (2019). Negative self-appraisal mediates the relationship between mindfulness and confidence among adolescent female provincial hockey players in South Africa. South African Journal of Sports Medicine, 31(1): 1-5. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2078-516x/2019/v31i1a4371
YU, L.; NORTON, S. & MCCRACKEN, L. M. (2017). Change in “Self-as-Context” (“Perspective-taking”) occurs in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for people with chronic pain and is associated with improved functioning. Journal of Pain, 18(6): 664-672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2017.01.005
ZETTLE, R.D.; GIRD, S.R.; WEBSTER, B.K.; CARRASQUILLO-RICHARDSON, N.; SWAILS, J. A. & BURDSAL, C.A. (2018). The Self-as-Context Scale: Development and preliminary psychometric properties. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 10: 64-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2018.08.101
ZHANG, C-Q.; SI, G.; CHUNG, P-K. & GUCCIARDI, D.F. (2016). Mindfulness and burnout in elite junior athletes: The mediating role of experiential avoidance. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 28(4): 437-451. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2016.116223
ZHANG, C-Q.; LI, X.; CHUNG, P-K.; HUANG, Z.; BU, D.; WANG, D.; GUO, Y., WANG, X. & SI, G. (2022). The effects of mindfulness on athlete burnout, subjective well-being, and flourishing among elite athletes: A test of multiple mediators. Mindfulness, 12(8), 1899-1980. https://doi.org/10.1007/s1267-021-01644-2
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Andrew F. Martin, Stephen P. Walker, Louise A. McHugh (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright of the South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation is held by the author/s and licensed under the CC Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0
