Prevalence and factors associated with burnout syndrome in footballers from the Colombian Caribbean: a cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v82.119364Keywords:
Sports accidents , Emotional exhaustion , Burnout , Football , Mental healthAbstract
Introduction: In the Colombian Caribbean, being a soccer player involves dealing with more than just the opponent on the field. The pressure to excel, an often-complicated socioeconomic environment, and the physical scars of injuries seem to weave a web of vulnerability that pushes these athletes toward psychological burnout.
Objective: To identify burnout and the factors that generate it in a specific sports context related to amateur soccer.
Method: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted with a correlational approach. The Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) and a socio-sports questionnaire were used, and data were subsequently cross-referenced using Student's t-tests, chi-square tests, Pearson correlations, and odds ratio calculations. The total study population consisted of 147 male soccer players, with a mean age of 29.4 years.
Results: 31.3% of the soccer players showed a real risk of burnout, with a history of sports injury appearing as the main finding (OR=3.21; p=0.003). tripling the risk. Competing at a regional or national level (OR=2.65; p=0.035) and belonging to low socioeconomic groups (OR=2.08; p=0.042) showed a relationship with the phenomenon. Low educational attainment was observed to be another critical factor for burnout (OR=1.80; p=0.038). In addition, more training was associated with greater emotional exhaustion, showing a moderate correlation (r=0.38; p=0.024).
Conclusion: Burnout in Caribbean football appeared as a multifactorial event: competitive pressure, the fragility of the social environment, low educational attainment, and injuries were shown to be predisposing factors for burnout.
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