Canadian Journal of Higher Education - Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur - Exploring levels of student-athlete burnout at two Canadian universities

Oct 15, 2026

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The study examines burnout levels among student-athletes at two Canadian universities and tests differences by gender, sport, years of sport participation, academic year, and academic program. Burnout was assessed with the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (Raedeke and Smith, 2001) administered to 145 student-athletes across various sports. Overall, 1.4% reported elevated scores on all three subscales and 17% scored high on two subscales. No significant differences appeared by participation year, academic year, or program, while women showed higher emotional and physical exhaustion. Sport-specific comparisons also revealed differences in emotional/physical exhaustion and sport devaluation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

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Abstract

Introduction

Conceptualizations of Burnout in Sport

Burnout in Sport

CSSHE SCÉES Canadian Journal of Higher Education Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur Volume 44, No. 2, 2014, pages 135-151 Exploring levels of student-athlete burnout at two Canadian universities Nicole Dubuc-Charbonneau, Natalie Durand-Bush, and Tanya Forneris University of Ottawa Abstract The purpose of the current study was to examine the levels of burnout among student-athletes at two Canadian universities and to investigate whether there were significant differences related to gender, sport, year of university sport participation, academic year, and academic program. Burnout was measured by administering Raedeke and Smith’s (2001) Athlete Burnout Questionnaire to 145 student-athletes from various sports. Overall, 1.4% of the student-athletes had elevated burnout scores on all three subscales, and 17% scored high on two of the three subscales. No significant differences emerged with regards to year of varsity sport participation, academic year, or program. However, women had significantly higher levels of emotional and physical exhaustion than men. Significant differences also emerged in relation to levels of emotional and physical exhaustion, and of sport devaluation, when comparing various sports. Résumé Le but de cette étude était d’évaluer le niveau d’épuisement d’étudiants athlètes fréquentant deux universités canadiennes et de déterminer s’il yavait des différences significatives liées au sexe, au sport, au nombre d’années de participation au sport universitaire, ainsi qu’à l’année universitaire et au programme d’étude. L’épuisement a été mesuré en distribuant le « Athlete Burnout Questionnaire » (Raedeke & Smith, 2001) à 145 étudiants athlètes universitaires de différentes disciplines sportives. En somme, 1,4 % des participants ont affiché des scores élevés sur chacune des trois sous-échelles et 17 % ont fait demême sur deux d’entre elles. Aucune différence marquéen’a été identifiée quant au nombred’années de participation au sport universitaire, ni à l’année universitaire ou au type deprogrammed’étude. Cependant, les femmesont affiché un niveau d’épuisement émotif et physique significativement plus CJHE / RCES Volume 44, No. 2, 2014 Student-athlete burnout / N. Dubuc-Charbonneau, N. Durand-Bush, & T. Forneris 136 élevé que celui des hommes. En outre, on a noté des différences marquées en comparant les sports entre eux en ce qui a trait au niveau d’épuisement émotif et physique et au niveau de dévalorisation des disciplines. Introduction University sports offer an opportunity for athletes to remain involved in competitive sport while pursuing a post-secondary education. In fact, for many athletes, participating in university sports will represent the peak of their competitive careers. Playing on a college or university team can provide numerous health and social benefits (Miller & Kerr, 2002) . A survey comparing over 2000 athletes from various sports with non-athletes revealed that athletes have higher levels of psychological well-being than non-athletes (Aries, McCarthy, Salovey, & Banaji, 2004). Despite these advantages, factors such as pressure to succeed, extensive travelling, and intense training schedules can cause stress and overshadow the positive outcomes associated with their sport participation (Gould & Whitley, 2009) . In addition to sport-related stressors, student-athletes face various academic and social demands (e.g., assignments, examinations, development of friendships) and must meet the constant challenge of maintaining a desired level of performance in both sport and academic contexts (Gustafsson, Hassmén, Kenttä, & Johansson, 2008; Miller & Kerr, 2002). It is suggested that the physiological, emotional, and psychological stress that can result from an athlete’s inability to cope with demands can contribute to the development of burnout (Gustafsson, Kenttä, & Hassmén, 2011; Raedeke & Smith, 2004) . Conceptualizations of Burnout in Sport Research on burnout ste

FAQs

How was burnout measured in this study?

Burnout was measured using Raedeke and Smith’s (2001) Athlete Burnout Questionnaire administered to 145 student-athletes from various sports.

Which factors showed significant differences in burnout levels?

Women had significantly higher emotional and physical exhaustion than men. Significant sport-related differences were also found for emotional and physical exhaustion and for sport devaluation.

Did burnout differ by university participation year, academic year, or academic program?

No significant differences emerged with regard to year of varsity sport participation, academic year, or program.

Oct 15, 2026

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