Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Authors
1 Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Science and Technology in Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor. Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Science and Technology in Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction: Growing concerns over the rising prevalence of burnout among competitive athletes have underscored the need to examine its antecedents, protective factors, and underlying mechanisms. The present study, therefore, aimed to investigate the relationship between self-compassion and athlete burnout, as well as the mediating role of gratitude in this relationship.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 339 athletes (146 females; Mage=20.54 years, SD=6.39) from Tehran Province, Iran, competing in both team and individual sports, completed measures of self-compassion (SCS-SF), athlete burnout ABQ), and gratitude (GQ). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed using AMOS (version 24.0) to test the proposed model.
Results: The empirical model demonstrated an adequate fit to the data, with fit indices derived from maximum likelihood estimation indicating linearity among the variables. Path analysis revealed that self-compassion significantly and negatively predicted athlete burnout. Moreover, gratitude played a significant mediating role in this relationship, such that higher levels of self-compassion were associated with increased gratitude, which in turn was associated with reduced athlete burnout
Conclusion: These findings suggest that self-compassion, as a positive trait, plays an effective protective role against athlete burnout, with gratitude serving as an underlying mechanism. The results highlight the importance of designing and implementing positive psychology interventions aimed at enhancing self-compassion and gratitude in sport settings, which may significantly contribute to preventing and reducing athlete burnout.
Keywords
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