Untying the Knot:
Relationship Between Athletes’ Perceptions of Coaching Behaviors, Competitive Trait Anxiety, and Burnout Symptoms
Keywords:
Sport Devaluation, Emotional and Physical Exhaustion, Reduced Sense of Accomplishment, Autonomy-Supportive, Anxiety LevelsAbstract
According to Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1980; 1985), autonomy-supportive coaches encourage choice and self-initiative in their athletes. In contrast, coaches who exhibit controlling coaching behaviors act in an authoritarian and coercive manner (Amorose & Anderson-Butcher, 2015). Previous research has shown that athletes who perceive their coaches to engage in autonomy-supportive behaviors have decreased symptoms of burnout compared to those who perceive their coaches as controlling (Cho et al., 2019; Mellano et al., 2022). The relationship between athletes’ perceptions of coaching behaviors and burnout symptoms may be further influenced by competitive trait anxiety (Cho et al., 2019), as athletes’ levels of competitive trait anxiety are related to both perceived coaching behaviors and athlete burnout symptoms (Cremades et al., 2011). However, existing literature has yet to examine how the interaction between perceived coaching behaviors and both the intensity and direction of competitive trait anxiety may influence athlete burnout symptoms. Accordingly, the purpose of the current study was to examine if athletes’ perceived coach behaviors and intensity and direction of competitive trait anxiety would predict athlete burnout symptoms. Self-report measures were completed by 371 Division I University athletes. Results of three hierarchical regression analyses displayed perceived autonomy-supportive coaching behaviors and the intensity of competitive trait anxiety to significantly predict each burnout symptom. It is recommended that sport staff engage in autonomy-supportive behaviors and consider incorporating various mental skills to help athletes manage their competitive trait anxiety levels and increase facilitative perceptions of competitive trait anxiety.
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