Abstract
Burnout is a salient psychological health concern for working professionals. Vulnerability to burnout increases in contexts that are people-oriented because of the high levels of stress that can occur, including in athletic training. Research suggests that as many as 30% of athletic trainers experience some level of burnout in their profession. Thus, it is important to find ways to reduce the stress-burnout relationship to improve athletic trainers' health. The current study examined the moderating role of planned physical activity (PA) on the link between perceived stress and burnout. Certified practicing athletic trainers (N = 114, Mage = 29.3 years, SD = 5.7 years) completed established measures of stress, PA, and burnout. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the moderating effects of weekly minutes of moderate and vigorous PA on the stress-burnout relationship. Perceived stress significantly and positively associated with exhaustion (B = 0.71), personal accomplishment (B = 0.38), and depersonalization (B = 0.63), components of burnout. Moderate PA significantly and positively associated with personal accomplishment (B = 0.33) and depersonalization (B = 0.23). Vigorous PA significantly and negatively associated with personal accomplishment (B = -0.28). There were no significant moderating effects. Results support the link between perceived stress and burnout. Findings suggest intensity of PA may have different implications for perceived burnout. Moderate PA may increase athletic trainers' vulnerability to burnout; however, vigorous PA may decrease vulnerability to burnout. Future work should use a longitudinal design to better understand how planned PA influences perceived burnout in athletic trainers.
