The role of passion and affect in enhancing the understanding of coach burnout

Abstract

The purpose of the present cross-sectional study among Norwegian coaches (N = 510, Mage = 28.49 years, SD = 10.99; Mexperience = 14.95 years, SD = 9.85; Women 19.6%, men 80.4%; Fulltime 23%, part-time 26%, volunteers 51%) was to examine the relationships between harmonious- (HP) and obsessive passion (OP), negative- (NA) and positive affect (PA), and burnout. Structural equation modeling (SEM: Kline 2011) indicated an acceptable fit (Brown, 2006) both concerning the confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) to determine the factor structure of the scales, and when testing the model involving direct and indirect effects. Overall, the results supported the dualistic model of passion can contribute to explain the coach burnout syndrome through PA and NA. Of interest, higher levels of HP and PA seemed particularly to be negatively associated to burnout, while higher levels of OP and NA were found to be positively associated to burnout. Findings will be discussed in relation to theory with an emphasis on applied suggestions to prevent coach burnout.