Transcript BURNOUT IN COACHES - Massachusetts Youth Soccer

BURNOUT IN COACHES
Lynn Gugliuzza
April 28, 2008
What is Burnout?
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A state of emotional exhaustion caused by excessive
psychological and emotional demands. It is a chronic
condition occurring when demands exceed an individual’s
abilities to cope, leading to feelings of being
overwhelmed, and resulting in psychological, emotional,
and physical withdrawal from the stressful activity.
(Drake, 2002)
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Stress / Role Strain / Role Overload can be viewed as a
mismatch between the perceived demands of a situation
and one’s perceived capabilities and resources for meeting
those demands.
(Kelley, 1994)
Three components
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Emotional exhaustion- feeling overextended
or emotionally exhausted by work
Depersonalization- characterized by a lack of
caring for clients or athletes
Lack of personal accomplishment- failure to
perceive a desired level of competence and
achievement in one’s work
(Drake, 2002) (Kelley, 1994)
Are these three VALUES we want to pass
along to our athletes?
Sport Specific Model
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Main theme: Cognitive appraisal of and
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Supported by the fact:
physiological responses to stress influence
the development of burnout.
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Perceived lack of accomplishment, autonomy, and
support were more predictive of burnout than the
actual amounts of time coaches spent in work and
leisure activities.
(Vealey, 1998)
How does this transition into
coaching?
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IMBALANCE
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between the
demands of the coaching situation (understanding
and motivating athletes, planning practices,
developing budgets) and the
resources available to deal with the situation
(communication skills, support staff, basic
accounting skills) can lead to the development of
coaching burnout.
(Kelley, 1994)
STRESS Factors  Burnout
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Self-imposed and external pressures to WIN
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TIME demands viewed as overwhelming ROLE
CONFLICTS
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Teaching courses, coaching multiple sports, parental roles
Inequalities between men’s and women’s programs
General lack of administrative understanding/support
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*Single greatest source of stress in athletics*
Shrinking budgets for program needs & coach’s salaries
Being a ROLE MODEL for their athletes
Belief that today’s athletes lack dedication
Loss of patience with athletes.
(Kelley, 1994) (Hjalm, 2007) (Drake, 2002) (Felder, 1990)
What messages are we sending to our
athletes?
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Winning above all else, even your health?
Sacrifice family time for your job?
WIN
TIME
ROLE CONFLICTS
ROLE MODEL
YouTube - Angry NFL Coaches
“Coaches are performers, educators, administrators,
leaders, planners, motivators, negotiators,
managers, and listeners, but they are also people.”
(Hjalm, 2007)
How does this effect the
athletes?
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Coaches begin to distance themselves from
the athletes and experience a reduced sense
of meaning about their work
… which leads to
A decrease in the quality of the athletic
experience for the coach and athletes.
(Kelley, 1994)
Vealey’s Study in 1998
Athlete
Anxiety
Coach
Burnout
Perceptions of
Coach’s
Behavior
Athlete
Burnout
What was found?
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**Overall, higher levels of burnout in athletes was related to their
perceptions of their coaches’ communication and feedback behaviors
and coaching styles. Perceived their coaches were:
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less empathetic
emphasized dispraise as opposed to praise as a motivational technique
implemented an autocratic coaching style
emphasized winning as more important than the development of athletes.
Coaches with stronger feelings of personal accomplishment were
perceived by their athletes as having a greater tendency to use praise,
communicate effectively, and display empathy.
(Vealey, 1998)
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Bruce Parkhill, former Penn State basketball coach,
resigned because he was “tired, lacked commitment, but
most of all, he didn’t want to cheat his players, his
program, or Penn State.”
(Wojciechowski, 1995)
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“Coaches who see change rather than stability as
the norm in life, who believe they have the ability to
influence the course of events, and who approach
life with a sense of purpose and a healthy curiosity
are less likely to perceive situations as threatening
and are less prone to burnout.”
(Kelley, 1994)
Cognitive Coping Strategies
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Develop an awareness
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Accept the limitations of one’s control
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Player injuries, underperformance, referees
Focus on what you can control
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Recognize your own symptoms of self-destructive
stress and using psychological techniques, correct and
then eliminate burnout
Training sessions, mental preparation and motivation
levels of players
Share control with assistants, players
(Steinberg , 1999) (Hemsley, 2003)
Prevention Stretegies
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Personal Release
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Organization Skills
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Means to separate yourself physically or mentally from
work
Structure the coaching environment to be rewarding
and satisfying to maintain commitment.
Mentors
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More experienced coaches should help guide young
coaches to help them achieve success and maintain
the desire to remain in the profession
(Drake, 2002) (Raedeke, 2004)
Tips to staying committed
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REST…you may sleep a lot but you seldom feel “rested”
Good Nutrition
Physical / Emotional Exercise
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Relaxation techniques
Time Alone
Spiritual and Religious Time
Time with children / family / friends
New Interests or hobbies
Develop new talents
(Hemsley, 2003) (Maskaly, 2008) (Raedeke, 2004)
So…What is the key to it all?
Sounds like a simple word, but without it many
things are not possible
(Maskaly, 2008)
References
"Angry NFL Coaches." YouTube. 26 Apr. 2008 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGXHxhDMBBY>.
Drake, Diane, and Edward Hebert. "Perceptions of Occupational Stress and Strategies for Avoiding Burnout: Case
Studies of Two Female Teacher-Coaches." Physical Educator (2002). General OneFile. Boston University,
Boston. 16 Apr. 2008.
Felder, Dennis, and Dan Wishnietsky. "Role Conflict, Coaching Burnout and the Reduction in Number of Female
Interscholastic Coaches." Physical Educator (1990): 7-14. EBSCO. Boston University, Boston. 16 Apr. 2008.
Hemsley, Aaron. "Running on Empty? You Can Recover From--or Better Yet Prevent--the Peril of Emotional
Burnout." Research (2003): 60-62. General OneFile. Boston University, Boston. 17 Apr. 2008.
Hjalm, Soren, Goran Kentta, Peter Hassmenan, and Henrik Gustafsson. "Burnout Among Elite Soccer Coaches."
Journal of Sport Behavior (2007): 415-418. Academic OneFile. Boston University, Boston. 17 Apr. 2008.
Kelley, Betty C. "A Model of Stress and Burnout in Collegiate Coaches: Effects of Gender and Time of Season."
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport (1994): 48-59. Academic OneFile. Boston University, Boston. 17
Apr. 2008.
Mannie, Ken. "To Those Who Really Matter." Coach and Athletic Director Sept. 2007: 70-71. Boston University,
Boston. 16 Apr. 2008.
Maskaly, Michelle. "Life Balance is the Key to Avoiding Burnout." The Quill (2008): 29. Academic OneFile. Boston
University, Boston. 17 Apr. 2008.
Raedeke, Thomas D. "Coach Commitment and Burnout: a One-Yeah Follow-Up." Journal of Applied Sport Psychology
16 (2004): 333-349. Boston University, Boston. 17 Apr. 2008.
Steinberg, Gregg M., Robert N. Singer, and Milledge Murphey. "Lack of Control in Coaching: Potential Complications
and Strategies to Help Coaches." The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (1999): 39.
Academic OneFile. Boston University, Boston. 17 Apr. 2008.
Vealey, Robin S., Lucinda Armstrong, William Comar, and Christy A. Greenleaf. "Influence of Perceived Coaching
Behaviors on Burnout and Competitive Anxiety in Female College Athletes." Journal of Applied Sport
Psychology (1998): 297-318. Boston University, Boston. 17 Apr. 2008.
Wojciechowski, Gene. "Dunn's Dream Comes True, But Not the Way He Planned." The Sporting News 23 Oct. 1995:
54. Academic OneFile. Boston University, Boston. 17 Apr. 2008.