Validation of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire with youth athletes

Lee-Ann Sharp, Charlotte Woodcock, Mark Holland, Joan Duda, Jennifer Cumming

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Abstract

The Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ; Raedeke & Smith, 2001) has emerged as a valid and reliable theory based tool to measure burnout in adult-aged athletes. However, the psychometric properties of the ABQ have yet to be extensively tested within youth sport populations. The present study tested the validity and reliability of the 15 item ABQ with 445 young British athletes (322 males and 152 females; M age = 15.36, SD 1.23 years). The internal consistency was examined for each of the three subscales, emotional/physical
exhaustion (EPE), sport devaluation (SD) and reduced sense of accomplishment (RA), resulting in alpha coefficients of between .78 and .89. Preliminary confirmatory factor analysis indicated the model for the ABQ was an adequate fit (chi^2 = 361.99, RMSEA = .08, SRMR = .06, CFI = .92, TLI = .90). Modification indices suggested that the model could be improved if two items within the reduced accomplishment subscale be allowed to covary. A re-specified model showed a greater model fit (chi^2 = 266.91, RMSEA = .07, SRMR = .05, CFI = .95, TLI = .94) and was utilised in further analysis. Investigations by Raedeke and Smith (2001) and Price and Weiss (2000) suggested that high levels of trait anxiety predispose athletes to the risk of burnout. To establish convergent validity, all athletes also completed the 17 item revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (CSAI-2R; Cox, Martens & Russell, 2003). Analysis for the present study indicated Cronbach alpha coefficients of between .61 and .78 for the CSAI-2R. Bivariate correlations indicated that the subscales of the ABQ and CSAI-2R were related. As expected, intensity measures of somatic anxiety (EPE r = .25, p < .01; SD r = .17, p < .01; RA r = .16, p = .01) and cognitive anxiety (EPE r = .22, p < .01; SD r = .10, p < .05; RA r = .14, p < .01) positively correlated and self-confidence negatively correlated (SD r = −0.16, p < .01; RA r = −.16, p < .01) with ABQ subscales. In conclusion, preliminary results indicated the ABQ to be a valid measure of burnout in youth athlete populations.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)218-219
JournalJournal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
Volume32
Publication statusPublished - 2010

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