Examining female coach burnout experiences and coping mechanisms

Abstract

In 2019, the World Health Organization added burnout to its classification of chronic diseases as a workplace illness explaining that it is the result of chronic stress from the workplace that is left unmanaged. Recent research has considered the effects of burnout in various professions. However, research on the effects of burnout in the profession of coaching is still in its infancy. Even less research has been done on burnout in elite female coaches. Using semi-structured interviews, this study examined 14 elite female basketball coaches’ experiences with burnout, how they have managed it, and what they feel is essential for other coaches and organizations to know about burnout. Interviews were conducted over Zoom, and the results were combined and coded into 4 significant themes: Experiences (participants experiences with burnout), Management (ways participants managed/coped with burnout), Education (ways participants would like to receive information about burnout), and Recommendations (recommendation participants had for coaches and organization about burnout). The results provide advice to coaches and organizations based on the experiences of coaches who have reached (or are on their way to reaching) some of the highest levels of coaching in Canada.