INTRAPERSONAL AND SITUATIONAL PREDICTORS OF COACHING BURNOUT

The purpose of this study was to examine dispositional, cognitive, and situational predictors of coaching burnout within Smith's cognitive-affective model of sport burnout. High school and college coaches (N = 848) completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a demographic/cognitive appraisal questionnaire via a mail survey. Descriptive results indicated that a substantial percentage of coaches fell into the moderate and high burnout ranges and that female coaches were higher in emotional exhaustion than male coaches were. Trait anxiety emerged as the strongest predictor of burnout, and several cognitive perceptions of the coaching role were also predictive of burnout. Actual time spent in coaching and leisure activities, type of sport, competition level, and personal status were not related to burnout. These findings provide some support for Smith's model and indicate that burnout may be predicted by dispositional and cognitive factors more so than actual situational or behavioral factors.