TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of athletic identity in the development of athlete burnout
T2 - The moderating role of psychological flexibility
AU - Chang, Wen Hsin
AU - Wu, Chia Huei
AU - Kuo, Che Chun
AU - Chen, Lung Hung
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology ( MOST 105-2410-H-179 -011 -MY2 ), Taiwan.
Funding Information:
This research was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST 105-2410-H-179 -011 -MY2), Taiwan.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2018/11
Y1 - 2018/11
N2 - Inconsistent findings have been reported regarding the association between athletic identity and emotional exhaustion, a key dimension of athlete burnout, indicating a need to identify boundary conditions that shape the role of athletic identity in the development of emotional exhaustion. To reconcile the mixed findings, the authors propose that psychological flexibility, identified as “the ability to contact the present moment more fully as a conscious human being and to change or persist in behavior when doing so serves valued ends” (Hayes, Luoma, Bond, Misuka, & Lillis, 2006, p. 8), can moderate the association between athletic identity and the development of emotional exhaustion. Using a two-wave, time-lagged survey, a total of 132 college athletes (mean age = 19.97 years) completed assessments of athletic identity at Time 1, psychological flexibility at Time 1, and emotional exhaustion at Time 1 and at Time 2 three months later. The results indicated that athletic identity is positively associated with the development of emotional exhaustion over time among individuals with low psychological flexibility but is negatively associated with emotional exhaustion for individuals with high levels of psychological flexibility. This study suggests that the association of athletic identity with increased or decreased emotional exhaustion over time depends on the athlete's attributes. Practically, our findings highlight the importance of understanding athletes’ levels of psychological flexibility to prevent emotional exhaustion.
AB - Inconsistent findings have been reported regarding the association between athletic identity and emotional exhaustion, a key dimension of athlete burnout, indicating a need to identify boundary conditions that shape the role of athletic identity in the development of emotional exhaustion. To reconcile the mixed findings, the authors propose that psychological flexibility, identified as “the ability to contact the present moment more fully as a conscious human being and to change or persist in behavior when doing so serves valued ends” (Hayes, Luoma, Bond, Misuka, & Lillis, 2006, p. 8), can moderate the association between athletic identity and the development of emotional exhaustion. Using a two-wave, time-lagged survey, a total of 132 college athletes (mean age = 19.97 years) completed assessments of athletic identity at Time 1, psychological flexibility at Time 1, and emotional exhaustion at Time 1 and at Time 2 three months later. The results indicated that athletic identity is positively associated with the development of emotional exhaustion over time among individuals with low psychological flexibility but is negatively associated with emotional exhaustion for individuals with high levels of psychological flexibility. This study suggests that the association of athletic identity with increased or decreased emotional exhaustion over time depends on the athlete's attributes. Practically, our findings highlight the importance of understanding athletes’ levels of psychological flexibility to prevent emotional exhaustion.
KW - Acceptance and commitment therapy
KW - Athlete burnout
KW - Athletic identity
KW - Emotional exhaustion
KW - Psychological flexibility
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85050807148&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.07.014
DO - 10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.07.014
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85050807148
SN - 1469-0292
VL - 39
SP - 45
EP - 51
JO - PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE
JF - PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE
ER -