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Background: Research has shown important between-individual variations in physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 lockdown.Objectives: The objectives of this is study are to examine the individual, sociodemographic, and environmental factors related to PA during the spring 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in France and to explore the mediating and moderating role of intention and self-efficacy toward PA in the relationships between sociodemographic/environmental variables and PA.Design: In this cross-sectional study, participants living in France (N = 386) completed an online survey between March 30 and April 10, 2020.Method: Minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous PA during the lockdown; usual physical activity before the lockdown; and psychological (e.g., intention, self-efficacy, and autonomous and controlled motivation), sociodemographic (gender, age, and number of children), and environmental (habitat surface area and type of housing) factors were measured in the survey. Multiple linear regressions were used to investigate the role of these predictors on PA. Intention and self-efficacy were also examined as moderators and mediators of the association between sociodemographic/environmental factors and PA.Results: Usual physical activity before the COVID-19 lockdown, intention toward PA, habitat surface area, and controlled motivation significantly predicted PA during the lockdown. No mediating effects of intention or self-efficacy were found. Intention significantly moderated the association between gender and PA and the association between part-time work and PA.Conclusions: PA during the COVID-19 lockdown was mainly predicted by individual factors and notably usual PA. These results highlight the important role of habits in a highly changing context.

International audience; To examine the indirect relationships between physical activity, and well-being (i.e., need satisfaction, subjective vitality, and stress) of individuals, through recovery experiences (i.e., detachment from lockdown, relaxation, mastery, and control over leisure time) during the spring 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. Methods. 405 participants answered an online survey including questions on physical activity, recovery experiences, subjective vitality, perceived stress, and basic psychological needs satisfaction. Structural equation modeling tested a full-mediated model in which physical activity predicted recovery experience, which in turn predicted well-being. Results. Physical activity was positively related to a latent variable representing recovery experiences, which in turn was positively related to a latent variable representing well-being. Conclusions. Physical activity carried out regularly during the COVID-19 lockdown positively predicted well-being through recovery experiences. The study results highlight the importance of maintaining or increasing physical activity during periods when recovery experiences and well-being may be threatened.

Objectives: Having psychometrically sound instruments is essential to the understanding of the determinants and consequences of athlete burnout. Therefore, this study examines the psychometric properties of a German version of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) and its usefulness as a screening tool for the detection of clinically relevant burnout symptoms. Design: Prospective study. Method: 257 young elite athletes were recruited from Swiss Olympic Sport Classes (37% females; M = 16.8 years, SD = 1.4). 197 students were assessed a second time after six months. All students filled in a standardized questionnaire about domain-specific and domain-unspecific burnout symptoms, depressive symptoms, stress, and life satisfaction. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor structure of the ABQ. Moreover, all subscales had acceptable internal consistency. Support was also found for the convergent validity of the ABQ; all subscales were positively correlated with perceived stress, burnout and depression, whereas negative correlations existed with life satisfaction. By contrast, some ABQ subscales shared only limited variance, the three ABQ subscales did not predict each other across time, and none of the ABQ subscales was suitable for the screening of clinically relevant burnout symptoms. Conclusions: While the factor structure and internal consistency of the ABQ was supported, our study corroborates previous concerns about the psychometric properties and validity of the ABQ. While the ABQ has advanced research on athlete burnout, we hold that further debates about the most suitable way to assess burnout among elite athletes are urgently needed.

The development of cynical attitudes towards elite sport is a core symptom of athlete burnout and has been associated with dropout from elite sport. To date, this phenomenon has mainly been studied by investigating explicit attitudes towards sport, whereas athletes’ automatic evaluations (i.e. implicit attitudes) that have been shown to influence behavior as well were not considered. This study aimed to compare explicit and implicit attitudes towards sport of young elite athletes with high (N = 24) versus low (N = 26) burnout symptoms. Using self-reported measures, general and athlete burnout symptoms were assessed. Additionally, a single-target implicit association test was administered to examine participants’ automatic evaluation of sport. Statistical analysis revealed greater emotional/physical exhaustion and sport devaluation in athletes reporting high compared to low burnout symptoms. Implicit attitudes towards sport did not significantly differ between the groups. Furthermore, no significant correlations were observed between different athlete burnout symptoms and implicit attitudes. Athletes with high burnout symptoms show a tendency to explicitly detach themselves from sport, thus fostering sport devaluation as a core symptom of athlete burnout. However, this process does not seem to be reflected in their implicit attitudes towards sport.

The negative feelings that are part of burnout syndrome may prompt athletes to drop out of their sport. The objective of the current study was therefore to examine the influence of athlete burnout profiles on playing status 6 years later. The participants of this study were 458 boys and girls between 14 and 18 years old (M = 15.44; SD = .95) enrolled in elite handball training centers. Cluster analysis on athlete burnout and multinomial logistic regressions on the playing status were conducted. The results suggest that those individuals with a “higher burnout” profile at Time 1 were more likely to have stopped playing handball 6 years later. It therefore seems important to develop strategies to prevent burnout in young athletes enrolled in elite training structures and to promote long-term engagement and well-being in elite sporting activity.

Objectives: To examine in a sample of young elite athletes (a) the presence of clinically relevant symptoms of burnout and depression, and (b) a possible interaction of perceived stress and mental toughness in the prediction of burnout and depressive symptoms. Design: 6-month prospective study. Methods: A representative sample of 257 young elite athletes (M=16.82 years, SD=1.44, 36% females) was recruited in North-Western Switzerland. 197 athletes were followed-up across a 6-month period. Burnout was assessed with the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure (SMBM), and depression with the 9-item depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Values of ≥4.40 (SMBM) and >14 (PHQ-9) were considered indicative of clinically relevant burnout or depression. Stress perceptions were assessed with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and mental toughness with the Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ). Hierarchical regression analyses were used to test stress-buffering effects. Results: The percentage of athletes with clinically relevant levels of burnout and depressive symptoms was 12% and 9%, respectively. Both crosssectional and prospective analyses showed that compared to participants with low mental toughness, those with higher mental toughness scores reported significantly fewer mental health issues, when exposed to high stress. By contrast, when stress levels were low, mental toughness was unrelated to psychological health complaints. Conclusions: About every tenth young elite athlete reported burnout or depressive symptoms of potential clinical relevance. While high perceived stress was associated with increased psychological health complaints, mental toughness was able to off-set some of the negative consequences resulting from high stress exposure.

Few studies have examined the association between sleep and burnout symptoms in elite athletes. We recruited 257 young elite athletes (Mage=16.8 years) from Swiss Olympic partner schools. Of these, 197 were re-assessed six months later. Based on the first assessment, 24 participants with clinically relevant burnout symptoms volunteered to participate in a polysomnographic examination and were compared to 26 (matched) healthy controls. Between 12-14% of young elite athletes reported burnout symptoms of potential clinical relevance, whereas 4-11% reported clinically relevant insomnia symptoms. Athletes with clinically relevant burnout symptoms reported significantly more insomnia symptoms, more dysfunctional sleep-related cognitions, and spent less time in bed during weeknights (p

Performance-based self-esteem and a self-identity dominated by being an athlete have been associated with athlete burnout. Our aim is to extend previous research by adopting a person-centered approach and examining whether profiles of burnout can be identified based on the athletes’ identity and performance-based self-esteem. Swedish junior athletes completed measures of athlete burnout, athlete identity, and performance-based self-esteem. Latent profile analysis identified four groups: Low burnout profile (n = 131), Moderate burnout profile (n = 178), Moderately high burnout profile (n = 125) and High burnout profile (n = 37). Higher scores of athletic identity were significantly less likely to be in the high burnout profile and athletes with higher scores of performance-based self-esteem were significantly more likely to be in the high burnout profile compared to the other three burnout profiles. These findings suggest that athletes with a performance-based self-esteem might be at greater risk of experiencing burnout.

Background:; Few studies have tested whether the stress-buffering effects of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) depend on other resources, such as the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. Therefore, the present study examines the interaction between perceived stress, LTPA and psychological need satisfaction (PNS) on occupational burnout symptoms in a sample of Swiss workers.; Methods:; The sample consisted of 306 employees (48% women;; M; age; = 42.9 years,; SD; = 14.1). Perceived stress was assessed with the Perceived Stress Scale, LTPA with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, PNS (autonomy, relatedness, and competence) with the Need Satisfaction Scale, and occupational burnout symptoms with the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. A hierarchical regression analysis and single slopes tests were performed to examine two- and three-way interactions.; Results:; Stress was positively correlated with burnout, and negatively correlated with LTPA and PNS levels. LTPA was positively associated with PNS, and negatively correlated with burnout. A negative association existed between PNS and burnout. In the hierarchical regression analysis, all main effects, two- and three-way interactions were significant. People who engaged in more LTPA reported fewer burnout symptoms, if they reported high stress. However, the potential of LTPA to buffer stress was particularly evident in participants who reported low PNS.; Conclusion:; If adult workers are exposed to elevated stress, they are particularly likely to show increased burnout levels if they report low LTPA in combination with low PNS, specifically a lack of autonomy, competence and relatedness.

Cet article se propose de presenter une revue exhaustive et critique sur le burnout sportif. Les differentes etudes ont permis de mettre en evidence que le burnout sportif semble lie au stress, a un « sentiment d’etre piege », a une identite sportive exclusive, a la perception d’un fort controle des autrui significatifs, a la non-satisfaction des besoins psychologiques fondamentaux, a une faible motivation autodeterminee, a la poursuite de buts d’evitement, et aux formes inadaptees de perfectionnisme. Cependant, certaines limites semblent emerger, notamment au niveau des mesures effectuees, des modeles theoriques utilises et de la population etudiee. Les recherches futures devront inclure des devis longitudinaux et qualitatifs, englober la totalite des modeles theoriques mobilises, et s’interesser a des populations plus diversifiees.

Isoard-Gautheur, S., & Guillet-Descas, E. (2014). Athlete Burnout and Motivational Dynamics: A Multiple Case Follow-Up Study among Elite BMX Riders. J. Hum. Sport Exerc., 9(1), pp.31-42. Aim of the study: The objective of the current study was to identify the motivational dynamics and the changes in the levels of burnout experienced among elite BMX riders during a competitive season. Methods: Data were collected each week during 32 weeks, among three BMX riders from an elite training structure. Paired sample t-tests were used to compare the means of each training phase two by two for each rider. Cohen’s d effect sizes were calculated to determine if changes noted between phases were meaningful for the data. Findings: The results of the current study reinforced the hypothesis that burnout is (a) a process that develops over time (Dale & Weinberg, 1990), (b) a multidimensional syndrome (Raedeke & Smith, 2001) and (c) a process with inter-individual differences (Dale & Weinberg, 1990). Key words: EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION, INTRINSIC MOTIVATION, REDUCED SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT, SPORT DEVALUATION.

Using self-determination theory (SDT) (Deci, E.L.,Ryan, R.M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York, NY: Plenum) as the theoretical framework, we conducted a longitudinal investigation of the temporal ordering between motivation and burnout among youth athletes in intensive training setting. Data were collected from 145 table tennis players in intensive training centres at three time points during a 2-month period characterised by a simultaneous increase in social, physical and psychological demands for these athletes. Structural equation modelling of cross-lagged panel models was used to test the hypotheses. Results showed significant paths leading from athlete burnout - especially sport devaluation and reduced sense of accomplishment - at time 1 to amotivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations at times 2 and 3. Only two significant paths leading from motivation (introjected regulation at time 1) to burnout (emotional/physical exhaustion at time 2 and reduced sense of accomplishment at time 3) were identified. Overall, our results suggest that athlete burnout predicts motivation over time but motivation did not predict athlete burnout over time. Results are discussed in terms of current research findings on SDT.

In training centers, the demonstration of high competence is essential and there is considerable emphasis placed on sporting achievement. Athlete burnout can be a consequence of such pressures and expectations. More information is needed regarding the social, environmental and individual differences in achievement-related characteristics which are relevant to the occurrence of burnout in this context. Objectives To examine the relationships among the coach-created climate, perceived competence, achievement goals and burnout in elite adolescent-age athletes. Design Prospective six-month-follow-up. Methods Data were collected from a sample of 309 young French handball players participating in elite training centers. Cluster analysis and structural equation modeling procedures were employed to evaluate the hypotheses. Results Comprised of differential scores on the dimensions of burnout, four distinct clusters were identified. Athletes in these cluster groups varied in perceptions of the motivational climate, goal orientations, and perceived competence. The structural model regarding the hypothesized relationships between perceived coach climate, perceived competence, achievement goals and athlete burnout, offered good fit to the data. Conclusions Findings indicated that young talented athletes perceiving an ego-involving climate and emphasizing mastery avoidance goals at the beginning of the season had a higher risk of experiencing burnout symptoms at the season's end. In contrast, players perceiving a high task-involving climate and emphasizing mastery approach goals at the beginning of the season had lower burnout scores when the season concluded. Moreover, players with high feelings of competence, who also report higher scores on performance approach and avoidance goals, higher scores on mastery approach goals and lower scores on mastery avoidance goals, are less likely to experience burnout.

Grounded on the Reflective–Impulsive Model, a recent study by Cheval, Sarrazin, Isoard-Gautheur, Radel, and Friese (2015) found support for an interactive pattern between reflective (i.e., physical activity intentions) and impulsive (i.e., impulsive approach tendencies towards sedentary behaviors; IASB) processes to prospectively predict objective moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) — strong IASB hindered reflective intentions from being executed. As low self-control is presumed to be associated with the stronger influence of impulsive processes on behavior, the present article provides a secondary analysis testing whether the interactive pattern between reflective intentions and IASB may be moderated by different facets of self-control (i.e., restraint and impulsivity). Ninety-seven adults completed a questionnaire assessing the study's variables of interest and wore an accelerometer over one week. Results revealed a moderated moderation pattern between intentions, IASB, and trait impulsivity — the previously documented interactive effect between intentions and IASB on objective MVPA was more pronounced for individuals with high as compared to low trait impulsivity. The results underline the dynamic interplay between intentions, IASB, and self-control in the determination of physical activity behavior.

Objective : The aim of the current study was to examine (1) associations between the quality of the coach-athlete relationship as perceived by athletes and athlete burnout and, (2) the role of achievement goals in mediating the association between the coach-athlete relationship and burnout. Design Cross-sectional. Method : 359 athletes completed measures of the perceived quality of the coach-athlete relationship (the 3Cs model), achievement goals (the 2 \ 2 model) and burnout (the athlete burnout model). Results : Structural equation modeling revealed negative relationships between the perceived quality of the coach-athlete relationship and the three dimensions of athlete burnout (df = 118, χ = 215.37, RMSEA = .05 [.04; .06], TLI = .97, CFI = .97). Moreover, results suggested that mastery-approach goals partially mediated the relationship between the coach-athlete relationship and two dimensions of athlete burnout: sport devaluation (i.e., indirect and direct effects: p < .001) and reduced accomplishment (i.e., indirect and direct effects: p < .01). Conclusion The current study confirms and broadens previous knowledge on the socio-cognitive correlates of athlete burnout by demonstrating that the level of athlete burnout is associated with the perceived quality of the relationship with the coach. Results also highlight that achievement goals partially mediate these relationships.

Objective: The present study tested whether taking into account both the reflective and the impulsive processes of physical activity (PA) is helpful in understanding how, and for whom, PA-promoting messages will be (in)effective in changing behavior. Method: Participants (N ! 101) were presented with a persuasive message promoting either PA (experimental condition) or healthy eating (control condition). Reflective intentions to be physically active were assessed both at baseline and after exposure to the message. Impulsive approach tendencies toward PA (IAPA) and sedentary behaviors (IASB) were assessed using a manikin task. The main outcome variable was accelerometer-assessed free time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) over 1 week after exposure to the message. Results: Although the PA-promoting message had no direct effect on MVPA, the results showed that (a) this message increased intentions to practice PA, notably among participants with low or moderate (but not high) baseline intentions; (b) objective MVPA was positively predicted by postmessage PA intentions and IAPA, and negatively predicted by IASB; and (c) postmessage PA intentions predicted MVPA for individuals with low or moderate (but not high) IASB. A follow-up moderated mediation analysis corroborated these earlier results, showing that PA-promoting messages positively predicted MVPA through postmessage intentions only among individuals with low or moderate baseline intentions and low or moderate IASB. Conclusions: By identifying 2 boundary conditions, this study revealed important insights in explaining when PA-promoting messages will be effective to predict objective MVPA and when they will not.

International audience; Aims of the study: The objectives of the present study is to examine relationships between potential causal directions of coaching style, basic psychological needs, quality of motivation; and athlete burnout in high level young athletes. Methods: Data was collected from a sample of 309 handball players of elite training centers. Structural equation modeling procedures were used to evaluate five conceptually driven structural models, intended to test mediation hypothesis. These models showed acceptable fit indices. Findings: Findings indicate that a perceived autonomy supportive coaching style is linked to higher levels of autonomy and competence in athletes, while a perceived controlling coaching style is linked to lower levels of autonomy and relatedness in athletes. Moreover, players reporting lower levels of basic psychological needs fulfilment display higher levels of the less self-determined forms of motivation as well as higher levels of athlete burnout. Finally, players driven by non self-determined forms of motivation are more prone to burnout.

This research develops a psychometrically sound measure of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ; Raedeke & Smith, 2001 ) in French (Le Questionnaire du Burnout Sportif, QBS). We first developed a preliminary version and then had 895 French adolescents involved in competitive sport or physical education at school complete the survey. The results showed good internal consistency (all Cronbach’s α values > .75). Confirmatory factor analysis with the three subscales of the ABQ (emotional and physical exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment, and devaluation) confirmed the structure of the instrument and good data fit (NNFI = .95, CFI = .96, GFI = .95, RMSEA = .07) in accordance with the results obtained in previous studies (e.g., Cresswell & Eklund, 2005a , b ; Raedeke & Smith, 2001 ). Furthermore, the patterns of relationships between the ABQ subscales and motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety provide concurrent validity of the ABQ.

International audience