The nature of player burnout in rugby: Key characteristics and attributions

Citation

Cresswell SL & Eklund R (2006) The nature of player burnout in rugby: Key characteristics and attributions. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 18 (3), pp. 219-239. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200600830299

Abstract
Researchers studying the experiences of individuals in human care settings propose the burnout syndrome consists of three central characteristics: emotional exhaustion, reduced accomplishment and depersonalization (Maslach, 198220. Maslach, C. 1982. Burnout: The cost of caring, London: Prentice Hall. View all references). The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which this broadly accepted multi-dimensional conceptualization of burnout is appropriate for elite rugby players. Fifteen purposefully sampled professional players were interviewed about their rugby-related experiences. The experiences described by some players included cognitive and affective states reminiscent of the sport-specific burnout syndrome conceptualization forwarded by Raedeke and Smith (2001)26. Raedeke, T. D. and Smith, A. L. 2001. Development and preliminary validation of an athlete burnout measure. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 23: 281-306. [CSA] View all references (i.e., exhaustion, reduced accomplishment and sport devaluation) that was grounded in the original human care literature (e.g., Maslach, 198220. Maslach, C. 1982. Burnout: The cost of caring, London: Prentice Hall. View all references). Players associated these negative experiences with a variety of perceptions and events related to their rugby involvement (e.g., injury, perceptions of the team environment and training loads).

Journal
Journal of Applied Sport Psychology: Volume 18, Issue 3