Psychological skills and burnout in sports performance – an analysis of wrestling

Abstract

Background & Study Aim: The athlete’s psychological skills are critical for optimal sport performance, as is the role which various problems may play on a sportsman or woman’s psychological functioning, as in the case of burnout. The objectives of this study are knowledge about the psychological skills relate to performance of young competitors wrestling, depending on gender and competitive level and also about the levels of burnout in the sample and their relationship with those skills. Material & Methods: We applied the Spanish version of the Psychological Performance Inventory (PPI) and the Athlete Burnout Inventory (IBD) in a sample of 96 athletes (61 male, 35 female), with a mean age of 17.5 years. According to their competitive level, two groups of wrestlers both sexes were constituted: amateur (36 male, 23 female); elite (25 male, 12 female). Results: The results confirm a higher motivational level in females and higher levels of self- confidence in elite athletes of both genders, compared to amateur wrestlers. Regarding burnout, females show higher average values in the three IBD scales, and increased Control of Coping among those who reported less emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, finding in turn higher personal accomplishment related to higher motivational levels. Conclusions: Women show higher levels of motivation that should certainly be a good predictor in the absence of the syndrome, although particularly in this study the affected subjects were women. Self-confidence is confirmed as a variable more closely related to higher competitive level, being a feedback process that allows the athlete to improve performance.