Burnout Syndrome in Sport-Related Jobs: A Meta-analysis of Recent Evidence

Burnout syndrome in sports is receiving increasing attention in the empirical literature applying psychometric tools. Since 2019, the number of scientific publications has doubled. This growth has increasingly dissociated athletes from their status as workers and burnout is rarely conceived as a phenomenon emerging from a working relationship. This study aims to meta-analyze the empirical measurements of burnout using scales in athletes and occupations related to professional sports during 2014-2023.

The initial search detected 996 studies. After a screening guided by PRISMA principles, we meta-analyzed 113 independent studies comprising 133 burnout measurements from 35,059 athletes, coaches, and referees across 29 countries. The results show a generalized use of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ), a notable heterogeneity in the estimates, signs of publication biases in some specific subscales, higher mean scores in personal accomplishment than other burnout dimensions, a decreasing trend in global scores over time, a higher burnout prevalence in developed countries, and different mean scores according to the scale applied.

The results highlight the need to continue improving the existing psychometric tools and focus interventions on the perception of accomplishment to reduce burnout incidence.