Gender Differences in the Relationship Among Basic Psychological Needs and Athletes’ Burnout

Abstract

The study examined if there is a relationship between basic psychological needs (BPN) and the burnout perceived by athletes and to check if its relationship differs by gender. A sample of 416 athletes (M_age = 24.01; 198 men and 218 women) completed a series of self-report measures: The Spanish version of the Basic Needs Satisfaction in General Scale and the Spanish version of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the relationships among the studied variables. The results revealed that autonomy significantly positively predicted reduced sense of accomplishment, competence negatively predicted reduced sense of accomplishment, and relatedness positively predicted reduced sense of accomplishment. In women, there is no relationship between BPN and burnout. In men, autonomy and relatedness significantly positively predicted the reduced sense of accomplishment. In the sports field, there exists a connection between BPN and burnout, especially affecting male athletes. Therefore, there may be other contextual factors (e.g., employment, maternity, scholarships, studies, among others) that could be influencing burnout symptoms in female athletes.