title: Motivation Mediates the Perfectionism-Burnout Relationship: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study With Junior Athletes.
abstract: Perfectionism in sports has been shown to predict longitudinal changes in athlete burnout. What mediates these changes over time, however, is still unclear. Adopting a self-determination theory perspective and using a three-wave longitudinal design, the current study examined perfectionistic strivings, perfectionistic concerns, autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, and athlete burnout in 141 junior athletes (mean age = 17.3 years) over 6 months of active training. When multilevel structural equation modeling was employed to test a mediational model, a differential pattern of between- and within-person relationships emerged. Whereas autonomous motivation mediated the negative relationship that perfectionistic strivings had with burnout at the between- and within-person level, controlled motivation mediated the positive relationship that perfectionistic concerns had with burnout at the between-persons level only. The present findings suggest that differences in autonomous and controlled motivation explain why perfectionism predicts changes in athlete burnout over time.
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Kent.|2 York St John University.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Madigan
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Kent.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stoeber
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Kent.
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Passfield
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes / Q000523:psychology*; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D000072639:Perfectionism; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: athlete burnout; autonomous motivation; controlled motivation; longitudinal study; perfectionism; self-determination theory