ATHLETIC BURNOUT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL COPING SKILLS OF TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES IN NEGROS OCCIDENTAL
Keywords:
athletic burnout, psychological coping skills, track and field athletes, Athlete Burnout Questionnaire, Athletic Coping Skills Inventory, Negros OccidentalAbstract
This study examined the level of athletic burnout and the extent of psychological coping skills of track and field athletes in Negros Occidental, Philippines, and tested the relationship between the two constructs. A descriptive-correlational design was used with 225 track and field athletes aged 13 to 18 years, selected through stratified random sampling from 18 cities and municipalities in the province. Athletic burnout was measured using the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ; Raedeke & Smith, 2001), and psychological coping skills were measured using the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28 (ACSI-28; Smith et al., 1995). Results showed an overall low level of athletic burnout (M = 2.81), with a reduced sense of accomplishment (M = 3.19, moderate) scoring higher than physical/emotional exhaustion (M = 2.72) and sport devaluation (M = 2.53). Psychological coping skills were generally at a moderate extent (M = 2.12), with coachability, concentration, and freedom from worry receiving the lowest subscale ratings. Athletic burnout differed significantly by sex, sporting event, and level of competition, but not by length of involvement. Psychological coping skills differed significantly by sex and sporting event—particularly confidence/achievement motivation and goal-setting/mental preparation—but not by length of involvement or level of competition. Correlational analysis revealed that coachability, concentration, and freedom from worry were significantly and positively associated with all three burnout dimensions, while coping with adversity and confidence/achievement motivation showed no significant relationship with burnout. These findings suggest that burnout among adolescent track and field athletes is tied to specific coping dimensions rather than to overall coping capacity, and they point to a need for coach-athlete communication strategies and mental skills programs that address anxiety management and receptiveness to feedback alongside physical training.
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