Athlete burnout syndrome in Colombian university athletes: associations with sex, sport type, and perceived health
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v82.119843Keywords:
sports burnout, university athletes, perceived health, sex, academic stressAbstract
Introduction: Sports burnout is a multidimensional psychological syndrome that compromises the well-being of student-athletes. In Colombian public universities, the coexistence of physical, academic, and socioeconomic demands creates a scenario of particular vulnerability.
Objective: To describe and compare the levels of physical/emotional exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment, and sport devaluation, as assessed by the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ), according to sex, sport type, and perceived health in athletes from a state institution. Methodology: A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational study was conducted with 180 university athletes (mean age = 21.8 years). The ABQ and a sociodemographic instrument were applied. Non-parametric tests and multiple linear regression with HC3 heteroscedasticity-consistent standard errors were used.
Results: Significant differences were observed between sexes across all three dimensions, with higher scores in males. Regular perceived health was associated with greater sport devaluation. The intermediate academic stage independently predicted physical and emotional exhaustion. Discussion: The association of male sex with higher scores might be linked to cultural patterns of masculinity that limit adaptive coping. Deterioration in perceived health appears to trigger negative appraisals of the athletic investment-reward balance. Vulnerability in intermediate semesters reflects an accumulation of demands without an imminent completion horizon.
Conclusions: Burnout varied according to sociodemographic and perceptual factors. Implementing longitudinal psychological monitoring and curricular flexibility is suggested, prioritizing male athletes in intermediate semesters. These findings highlight the need for interdisciplinary interventions to mitigate the deterioration of integral well-being in contexts of simultaneous high competitive and academic demands. Further research is required.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Jose Mauricio Rivero Olmos, Everardo Manuel Sánchez Puche, Lisbeth Tatiana Pumarejo Araujo, Beatriz Elena Mestre Morón, Andy Alberto Salgado Montes, Gabriel Fernando Franco Maya, Cesar Iván Avilés González
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