Preliminary validation of an Italian version of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire

Burnout in athletes is a growing concern in sport environments. There is a need for a psychometrically sound assessment tool to examine this phenomenon in Italian sport contexts. The purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of an Italian version of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire.

A sample of 255 athletes (M = 23.7, SD = 4.1; 32.9% women) of varied sports completed an Italian version of the ABQ along with measures assessing distress and resilience. The factor structure of the test was inspected by comparing the fit of three confirmatory factor analysis models. Internal consistency of the questionnaire was inspected, as was its construct validity.

The confirmatory factor analysis showed that the first-order model with three correlated factors presented an acceptable fit to the data and a better fit compared to the alternative models. The results also showed scores on the respective burnout dimensions to have good internal consistency. Furthermore, the pattern of relationships of the ABQ subscales with the measures of distress and resilience supported the construct validity of the Italian version of the ABQ. As expected, the three dimensions of burnout were significantly positively correlated with distress and significantly negatively correlated (or non-correlated) with resilience.

These findings support the three-factor multidimensional model of burnout, offering preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of an Italian version of the ABQ.