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Cited by 34Stress and Burnout ResearchSport Psychology and PerformanceOccupational Health and Burnout

Burnout symptoms and recovery processes in eight elite soccer coaches over 10 years

Hassmén, Peter, Kenttä, Göran, Hjälm, Sören, Lundkvist, Erik, Gustafsson, Henrik·2019·International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching
DOI 10.1177/1747954119851246
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Abstract

Elite sport can be stressful, which increases the risk for burnout symptoms to develop, especially when not balanced with sufficient recovery. To study the burnout–recovery process, eight elite soccer coaches were followed for 10 years. All eight were active elite coaches at the inception of this study and reported elevated emotional exhaustion scores on Maslach’s Burnout Inventory Educators Survey (MBI-ES). The coaches completed MBI-ES three additional times (year 3, 7, and 10), and they were also interviewed on the same occasions. At the 3-year follow-up, seven of the eight coaches reduced their exhaustion scores. The coach presenting with unchanged scores both at the 3 - and 7-year follow-up was the only one still coaching at the elite level. All coaches revealed during the interviews that they struggled to manage their work–life balance well; some worked too many hours, some experienced difficulty in managing conflicting role-demands, and some wrestled with external pressures. Their approach to recovery was, however, similar. Apart from moving away from coaching at the elite level, they unanimously mentioned that they changed their approach to coaching to make recovery possible. They achieved the latter by, for example, increasing control and delegating responsibility. According to our longitudinal results, burnout frequently regarded as an end-state can decrease over time, provided that decisive action is taken to change situational factors and personal demands. This frequently meant withdrawing from coaching, which in turn explains why coach retention remains a serious challenge for most organizations with teams/athletes competing at the elite level.

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  • Taking time off, departing the coaching profession, or stepping down to a lower competitive division was associated with lower levels of emotional exhaustion among elite-level coaches at risk of burnout over ten years.

    “They found that taking time off, departing the coaching profession, or stepping down to a lower competitive division was associated with lower levels of emotional exhaustion.”

    From The Mental Health of Elite-Level Coaches: A Systematic Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [98]

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Authors
Hassmén, P., Kenttä, G., Hjälm, S., Lundkvist, E., & Gustafsson, H.
Affiliations
  • Southern Cross University (AU)
  • University of Ottawa (CA)
  • Örebro University (SE)
  • Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (SE)
  • Karlstad University (SE)
Corresponding author
Hassmén, Peter
ORCID
Venue
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2019-05-20
Volume
14
Issue
4
Pages
431-443
ISSN
  • 1747-9541 (ISSN-L)
  • 2048-397X
DOI
10.1177/1747954119851246
OpenAlex
W2944982489
Cited by
34
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3
FWCI
2.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Burnout
Keywords
coach burnout, burnout recovery, emotional exhaustion, work-life balance, role conflict, delegation, coach retention

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