Beyond the game: exploring the link between occupational burnout and symptoms of ill-health in Australian football league coaches

Abstract

Problem statement: Coaches within the Australian Football League have an occupationally demanding role that may lead to heightened feelings of distress and exhaustion. Occupational burnout has become increasingly prevalent within the workplace and research surrounding burnout has evolved within the sports coaching literature. Purpose: This study aimed to examine the association between job burnout and symptoms of ill-health among Australian Football League coaches. Approach: A total of 139 full-time Australian football coaches participated in an online sports-focused survey, which included the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. The analysis involved assessing both the total sample and ladder-ranking groups for measures of association. Results: Positive correlations were found for Emotional Exhaustion and Personal Accomplishment with all Depression, Anxiety, Stress subscales in the total sample. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that Emotional Exhaustion significantly predicted depression (18%), anxiety (12%) and stress (35%), while Personal Accomplishment predicted anxiety (3%). The coaching level emerged as a significant predictor of stress, with senior coaches showing significantly higher levels of stress. Bootstrap analysis indicated a similar pattern of correlations between coaches of teams who made the finals in the previous season and those who did not. Conclusions: Although coaches reported burnout and ill-health scores within the healthy range, some experienced burnout feelings associated with elevated levels of psychological stress and depression. Being a senior coach was also associated with higher levels of stress. From a practical perspective, these findings provide valuable data for supporting coaching practices, and strategies to enhance psychological wellbeing, ultimately reducing occupational burnout within the workplace environment.