Howard K. Hall

A social cognitive approach to burnout in elite athletes

The purpose of this study was to investigate athlete burnout from a social‐cognitive perspective by examining the relationship between social cognitive motivational variables at the start of a season and signs of burnout in elite athletes at the end of the season. Participants were 141 (F=60, M=81) elite winter sport athletes competing in Alpine skiing, Biathlon, Nordic Combined, Nordic skiing, and Speed skating. Participants completed a comprehensive motivation assessment package at the start of the season and a further burnout inventory at seasons end. Results indicated that motivational dispositions, measures of the achievement climate, perceived ability and dimensions of perfectionism were associated with burnout in a conceptually consistent manner. Furthermore, the elite athletes could be grouped into two motivational profiles based on variables measured at the start of the season, one being adaptive and the other maladaptive. At seasons end, the two different motivational profiles yielded distinctively different responses on an inventory assessing signs of burnout. The current findings strengthen the claim that burnout in elite athletes may not simply be “motivation gone awry” as Gould has suggested, but an inevitable consequence of exhibiting a maladaptive motivational profile.

Perfectionism and athlete burnout in junior elite athletes: The mediating role of coping tendencies.

Abstract Recent research indicates that some dimensions of perfectionism are positively related to athlete burnout, whereas others are negatively related to athlete burnout. The divergent relationship between these dimensions of perfectionism and athlete burnout may be explained by different coping tendencies. The present investigation examined whether different coping tendencies mediate the relationship between self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism and burnout. Two-hundred and six junior elite athletes (M age=15.15 years, SD=1.88 years, range=11–22 years) completed measures of self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism, coping tendencies, and athlete burnout. Structural equation modeling indicated that the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism and athlete burnout was mediated by different coping tendencies. Higher levels of socially prescribed perfectionism was related to higher levels of avoidant coping which, in turn, was related to higher levels of athlete burnout. In contrast, higher levels of self-oriented perfectionism was related to higher levels of problem-focused coping and lower levels of avoidant coping which, in turn, was related to lower levels of athlete burnout. The findings suggest that different coping tendencies may underpin the divergent relationship between self-oriented and socially prescribed dimensions of perfectionism and athlete burnout.

Promoting Adolescent health through an intervention aimed at improving the quality of their participation in Physical Activity (PAPA): Background to the project and main trial protocol

Funded by the European Commission, the Promoting Adolescent health through an intervention is aimed at improving the quality of their participation in Physical Activity (PAPA) project revolved around the potential of youth sport to promote childrens mental and emotional health and physical activity engagement. A theoretically grounded coach education training programme (i.e. Empowering Coaching™), which was designed to create a sporting environment which was more positive and adaptive for young children, was customised for grassroots soccer, delivered and evaluated via a multi-method cluster RCT across five European countries; namely, England, France, Greece, Norway and Spain. In this article, a key part of the protocol of this large and multi-faceted project is presented. The ethical standards and procedures, characteristics of the population targeted and overall study design, and core self-report questionnaire measures completed by the players are described. Information is provided as well on the translation principles and procedures and data-collection procedures adopted in the PAPA project.

Relationships Between the Coach-Created Motivational Climate and Athlete Engagement in Youth Sport

Youth sport is a source of well-being for adolescents, yet experiences vary and attrition can be high. We sought to better understand the coach behaviors that foster positive experiences in youth sport by examining relationships between the motivational climate and athlete engagement (viz., confidence, dedication, enthusiasm, and vigor). We reasoned that a mastery climate (emphasis on effort and learning) would correspond with higher engagement, whereas a performance climate (emphasis on ability and outcome) was expected to correspond with lower engagement. Two-hundred sixty adolescent soccer players completed measures of engagement and perceived coach motivational climate. All dimensions of engagement were positively predicted by a mastery climate. Furthermore, cognitive aspects of engagement were positively predicted by a performance climate. Canonical correlation analysis indicated that a composite of engagement was positively associated with a mastery climate. Results suggest that a mastery climate offers a means of promoting higher levels of overall engagement.

The mediating role of psychological need satisfaction in relationships between types of passion for sport and athlete burnout

Abstract Research indicates that obsessive and harmonious passion can explain variability in burnout through various mediating processes (e.g., Vallerand, Paquet, Phillippe, & Charest, 2010). The current study extended previous research (Curran, Appleton, Hill, & Hall, 2011; Gustafsson, Hassmén, & Hassmén, 2011) by testing a model in which the effects of passion for sport on athlete burnout were mediated by psychological need satisfaction. One hundred and seventy-three academy soccer players completed self-report measures of passion for sport, psychological need satisfaction, and athlete burnout. Results indicated that psychological need satisfaction mediated the relationship between harmonious passion and athlete burnout but not obsessive passion and athlete burnout. The findings indicate that the inverse relationship between harmonious passion and burnout can be explained by higher levels of psychological need satisfaction. However, this was not the case for obsessive passion, which was not associated with psychological need satisfaction or most symptoms of athlete burnout.

Comparing self-reported leisure-time physical activity, subjective health, and life satisfaction among youth soccer players and adolescents in a reference sample

The aim of the study was to examine to what extent young people who play organised soccer rate their leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, life satisfaction, and health more positively and higher than a same-aged population-based reference group (including some adolescents who also played organised soccer). Data from two samples of five countries (England, France, Greece, Norway, and Spain) were included: a sample of soccer players aged 10-14 years who participated in the Promoting Adolescent Physical Activity project [Duda, J.L., Quested, E., Haug, E., Samdal, O., Wold, B., Balaguer, I., …  Cruz, J. (2013). Promoting Adolescent health through an intervention aimed at improving the quality of their participation in Physical Activity (‘PAPA’): background to the project and main trial protocol. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology] and a nationally representative reference sample of 11- and 13-year olds from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. Results from multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the participants in the soccer sample, in particular girls, reported a higher level of moderate-to-vigorous leisure-time physical activity than those in the reference sample. They also rated their life satisfaction and subjective health more favourably than the reference sample. The associations did not differ according to age or socio-economic status. The results suggest that playing soccer is a positive activity for youth and seems to be a very potent way of increasing regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among girls. Thus, efforts aimed at increasing participation in organised youth soccer may potentially be beneficial to young peoples psychosocial health and hold the potential to increase physical activity, particularly among girls.

The cognitive, affective and behavioural responses of self-oriented perfectionists following successive failure on a muscular endurance task.

Recent research suggests that self-oriented perfectionism may be a positive dimension of perfectionism. However, Flett and Hewitt (2005, 2006) have argued that while this dimension may appear to have some desirable consequences, it renders those high in the disposition vulnerable to psychological and motivational difficulties when personal standards are not met. The present investigation sought to examine this assertion by comparing the cognitive, affective and behavioural responses of those reporting higher and lower self-oriented perfectionism after experiencing two successive failures on a muscular endurance task. Sixty-eight student-athletes (M age = 19.75 years, SD = 1.25 years) performed a series of cycling trials in which they failed to meet personal performance targets. Providing some support for Flett and Hewitts assertions, findings indicated that following failure in the first trial, those higher in self-oriented perfectionism experienced a more pronounced increase in threat and reported withdrawing effort from the subsequent trial.

Perfectionism, dysfunctional achievement striving and burnout in aspiring athletes: the motivational implications for performing artists

While perfectionism is a personality characteristic that may energise heightened achievement striving and lead to considerable success, it may also elicit a range of maladaptive processes which undermine motivation, impair performance and contribute to psychological distress. This paper is informed by research on perfectionism in social, clinical and sport psychology. It presents evidence to suggest that perfectionism may have paradoxical effects on those seeking to excel in sport, and warns that the same debilitating processes may be observed in other performance contexts. After first outlining the nature of perfectionism, the paper attempts to differentiate perfectionism from adaptive achievement striving, and explain the process by which perfectionism may undermine the quality of motivation and contribute to burnout in aspiring athletes. It then presents evidence to demonstrate that this characteristic may have similarly debilitating consequences in the performing arts. Finally, the paper offers some practical strategies for those working with performing artists exhibiting perfectionistic tendencies. These strategies focus upon modification of psychological mechanisms which underpin debilitating patterns of cognition, affect and behaviour, and they suggest how perfectionism and its destructive effects might be successfully managed in performance contexts while enabling individuals to sustain high quality motivation in their pursuit of excellence.

Validity and reliability of accelerometry in identification of lying, sitting, standing or purposeful activity in adult hospital inpatients recovering from acute or critical illness: a systematic review

Objective: To investigate the validity and reliability of accelerometers to detect lying, sitting and standing postures or purposeful activity in hospitalized adults recovering from acute or critical illness. Data sources: CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, Cochrane Library, PEDro, PsycINFO and SPORTDiscuss were searched from inception to June 2017. Professional networks and reference lists of relevant articles were also searched. The main selection criteria were hospitalized adults with acute or critical illness and studies investigating the validity or reliability of accelerometers to identify body position or purposeful activity. Review methods: Two authors individually assessed study eligibility and independently undertook methodological quality assessment and data extraction from selected articles. A narrative synthesis of the data was undertaken. Results: Fifteen studies, collectively enrolling 385 hospitalized participants, were identified. Populations included stroke, the elderly, acute exacerbation of chronic respiratory disease, abdominal surgery and those recovering from critical illness. Correlations of r = 0.36 to 0.98 and levels of agreement of κ = 0.28 to 0.98 were reported for identification of lying, sitting or standing postures. Correlations of r = 0.4 to 0.8 with general activity were found, with r = 0.94 and 0.96 reported for step count. The reliability of accelerometry measurement was investigated in one study evaluating step count quantification (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.99–1.00). Conclusion: The validity of accelerometers to determine lying, sitting and standing postures or quantify purposeful activity within hospitalized acute or critically ill populations is variable. The reliability of accelerometry measurement within this setting remains largely unexplored.

The relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and pre-competition emotions of youth footballers

Objectives: Research has found that trait and dispositional perfectionism are related to pre‐competition emotions. However, less is known about whether other aspects of perfectionism, such as perfectionistic cognitions, are related to pre‐competition emotions. To address this limitation, the current study examined (i) the relationship between self‐oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism and pre‐competition emotions, and (ii) whether perfectionistic cognitions predict pre‐competition emotions after controlling for these two dimensions of perfectionism. Design: A cross‐sectional survey. Method: Two hundred and six youth footballers (M age = 15.54 years, SD = 1.93) completed self‐report measures prior to their next competition. Results: Regression analyses revealed socially prescribed perfectionism was a positive predictor of anger, while self‐oriented perfectionism was a positive predictor of excitement. After controlling for self‐oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism, perfectionistic cognitions were a positive predictor of anxiety, anger, and dejection. Conclusion: The findings suggest that perfectionistic cognitions are important in regard to pre‐competition emotions. HighlightsSelf‐oriented perfectionism (SOP) was a significant positive predictor of excitement.Socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) was a significant positive predictor of anger.Perfectionistic cognitions were a positive predictor of anxiety, anger, and dejection when controlling for time, SOP and SPP.