Does Sport-Domain Gratitude Have a Unique Impact on the Risk of Burnout when Controlling for Positive Affect?

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze whether sport-domain gratitude predicts the risk of burnout, even when controlling for positive affect. We administered a survey to 470 Japanese university athletes; The final sample comprised data from 412 athletes (men = 357, mean age =19.88 years, SD = 1.06). The participants completed questionnaires assessing burnout, positive affect, and sport-domain gratitude. A series of hierarchical multiple regressions was estimated to predict each of the following five dependent variables: burnout, interpersonal exhaustion, emotional exhaustion for athletic practice, lack of personal accomplishment (LPA), and devaluation toward club activity (DCA). Positive affect was entered in the first step; subsequently, sport-domain gratitude was entered in the second step, wherein burnout, LPA, and DCA were predicted by sport-domain gratitude. Our findings indicate that sport-domain gratitude has a distinct inhibitory effect on the risk of burnout that cannot be attributed to positive affect alone. Accordingly, coaches should promote not only to athletes’ feelings of positive affect in athletic life, but also feelings of gratitude in their competitive lives to reduce the risk of burnout.