The relationship between burnout levels and mindfulness of university students-athletes

Abstract

Background and Study Aim. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between burnout levels and mindfulness of students who are active athletes. Material and Methods. Descriptive analysis and correlational research model were utilized in the study. As data collection tools in the study, "Personal Information Form" including demographic information of the students was requested at first. Two scales were used: The "Athlete Burnout Scale," developed by Raedeke and Smith and adapted into Turkish by Kelecek et al.; The "Athlete Mindfulness Scale," developed by Thienot et al. and adapted into Turkish by Tingaz. The research group consisted of a total of 378 people, 96 women and 282 men, who were selected by random sampling method, actively practicing sports. In the study, t-test was used for pairwise comparisons and ANOVA test was used for multiple comparisons. Pearson Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between mindfulness and burnout levels. Results. In the study, it was found that there were significant differences in burnout levels depending on the gender variable and in some mindfulness sub-dimensions depending on the branch variable. In addition, it was determined that there was a significant negative relationship between burnout levels and mindfulness levels. Conclusions. The study found that active sports students with high mindfulness levels had lower levels of burnout, indicating that mindfulness may play a role in reducing burnout. While there were differences in mindfulness sub-dimensions based on age and sport type, overall mindfulness levels did not differ significantly.

Mindfulness training in swimming: Efforts to reduce burnout and stress in junior athletes.

“…Research conducted by Zuniga et al [56], found that mindfulnessbased training could reduce burnout significantly, but this practice must be closely guided and supervised by instructors who are experienced in mindfulness. Other studies also reported the same results, burnout often appears in athletes when facing various kinds of problems such as intense training and competition, injuries, so mindfulness training is the appropriate solution for athletes to relieve burnout symptoms [57,33]. In addition, Gustafsson [58], conducted research on elite athletes, the results showed that mindfulness programs can prevent and slowly restore burnout.…”

Kinesiophobia, exercise addiction and mindfulness in athletes

“…exhibit higher levels of mindfulness compared to their male counterparts, a finding echoed by similar research [33,34]. Conversely, research focused on elite athletes identified no significant gender differences in mindfulness levels [35], a conclusion also reached in studies involving university studentathletes [36]. The variation in these findings could be attributed to factors such as the specific sports disciplines involved and the average age of the participants in the sample groups.…”

Sporting Mind: The Interplay of Physical Activity and Psychological Health

“…In the same line, a determinant element in athletes is the so-called burnout, which occurs with a decrease in performance and emotional fatigue [ 7 , 137 ]. Mindfulness-based techniques can help to mitigate this syndrome, although they should be used as a complement to other therapies and interventions [ 138 , 139 ]. Several studies that studied the physiological variables of athletes in competition showed a significant reduction in cortisol levels in saliva, presenting 50% less than before training in mindfulness-based techniques [ 140 , 141 ].…”