Preliminary Psychometric Validation of the Teammate Burnout Questionnaire.

The aim of the present study was to provide support for the validation of the Teammate Burnout Questionnaire (TBQ). Athletes from a variety of team sports (N = 290) completed the TBQ and the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed acceptable fit indexes for the three-dimensional models (i.e., physical and emotional exhaustion, sport devaluation, reduced accomplishment) of the TBQ and the ABQ. Multi-trait multi-method analysis revealed that the TBQ and ABQ showed acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. The preliminary validation of the TBQ indicates the utility of the scale to reflect athletes' perceptions of their teammates' burnout and offers researchers the opportunity to quantitatively assess an important aspect of the social environment in the development of athlete burnout.

The impact of COVID-19 on dual career athletes: Three typologies of coping.

This research aimed to understand the coping and wellbeing of dual-career athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 159 dual-career athletes completed a series of questionnaires that aimed to identify the coping strategies and their impact on the wellbeing of respondents during COVID-19 restrictions. The survey included measures of coping, wellbeing, burnout, and identity along with open-ended questions with the focus of change, coping, and support. Findings identified three coping approaches that have been employed by dual-career athletes: positive coping, negative coping, and acceptance. The three coping approaches also showed distinct wellbeing and burnout profiles. The negative coping group showed high indicators of burnout and poor wellbeing, whereas the acceptance group showed the highest scores on wellbeing and low indications of burnout. Based on the findings, it is recommended that dual-career support providers and stakeholders consider how best to support athletes that have not coped well and have experienced wellbeing issues during this time. It is also important to recognise the benefit a dual-career has provided to some individuals during this period.

The role of coach-athlete relationship quality in team sport athletes' psychophysiological exhaustion: implications for physical and cognitive performance.

The present study aimed to examine associations between the quality of the coach-athlete relationship and athlete exhaustion by assessing physiological and cognitive consequences. Male and female athletes (N = 82) representing seven teams across four different sports, participated in a quasi-experimental study measuring physical performance on a 5-meter multiple shuttle test, followed by a Stroop test to assess cognitive performance. Participants provided saliva samples measuring cortisol as a biomarker of acute stress response and completed questionnaires measuring exhaustion, and coach-athlete relationship quality. Structural equation modelling revealed a positive relationship between the quality of the coach-athlete relationship and Stroop performance, and negative relationships between the quality of the coach-athlete relationship and cortisol responses to high-intensity exercise, cognitive testing, and exhaustion. The study supports previous research on socio-cognitive correlates of athlete exhaustion by highlighting associations with the quality of the coach-athlete relationship.