Abstract
The social context of youth sport can shape motivational experiences such as athlete burnout and engagement (Coakley, 1992; Udry, Gould, Bridges, & Tuffey, 1997). Social support is commonly linked to these experiences, yet sport involves a broader set of social behaviors that requires examination (DeFreese & Smith, 2014). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore several teammate-based social behaviors as predictors of burnout and engagement in adolescent athletes. Participants (N = 92; M age = 16.4 years, SD = 1.3) completed established measures of teammate-based social behaviors, loneliness, burnout, and engagement. Social support and loneliness predicted burnout perceptions of reduced accomplishment (? = -.15, .21) and sport devaluation (? = -.24, .21), whereas co-rumination predicted emotional and physical exhaustion (? = .23). Explained burnout variance ranged from 5% to 15%. Social support and loneliness predicted engagement perceptions of confidence (? = .23, -.33), dedication (? = .26, -.21), and enthusiasm (? = .35, -.22), whereas only social support predicted vigor (? = .27). Explained engagement variance ranged from 11% to 18%. Results highlight that social support, a positive social behavior, as well as loneliness, a negative social perception, are important correlates of adolescent athletes' motivational experiences. Results also suggest that the exhaustion dimension of burnout may have social correlates that are distinct from other burnout perceptions, with co-rumination warranting close attention in future research. Further examination of teammate social behaviors and athlete social perceptions holds potential to extend understanding of young athletes' motivational experiences.
