The relationship between perceived motivational climate, burnout, and well-being in division I athletes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between Division I athletes’ perceptions of the motivational climate on their sport team to their levels of sport burnout (i.e., physical and emotional exhaustion; reduced sense of accomplishment; and devaluation of sport), positive and negative affect, and well-being (i.e., emotional; social; and psychological). It was hypothesized that athletes’ perceptions of a more caring and task-involving climate with less emphasis on an ego-involving climate, would be negatively associated with burnout and negative affect, and positively associated with positive affect and well-being. Participants were 104 Division I athletes (44 men and 60 females; mean age = 20.17) from four different sports (baseball, diving, golf, and rowing). Three separate canonical correlations were conducted to examine the relationships between the climate variables (i.e., caring, task, and ego) to burnout via (a) emotional/physical exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment, and devaluation of sport; (b) well-being subscales (emotional, social, and psychological) and coach care; and (c) positive affect, negative affect, and subjective vitality. Analysis indicated that perceptions of a higher caring and task-involving and lower ego-involving climate was associated with lower emotional/physical exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment, devaluation of sport, and higher emotional well-being, social well-being, coach care, positive affect, and subjective vitality. It will be important in future research to examine home a caring and task-involving climate may buffer athletes’ experiences with burnout and enhance their well-being.