Longitudinal investigation of the role of coping on the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism and athletic burnout in sport

Perfectionism in athletes is a personality disposition that influences cognitive processes and behaviour (Hall, Hill, & Appleton, 2012). Perfectionism involves two dimensions: personal standards perfectionism (PSP) and evaluative concerns perfectionism (ECP). These dimensions are typically associated with positive and negative outcomes, respectively (Gotwals, Stoeber, Dunn, & Stoll, 2012). Perfectionism has shown important relationships with athlete burnout (Hill, 2013), a psychological symptom that involves emotional and physical exhaustion, perceived reduced accomplishment, and sport devaluation (Raedeke, 1997). One mechanism that is thought to influence the perfectionism-burnout relationship is coping. Cross-sectional research has found that task-oriented coping (TOC) is typically positively associated with PSP and negatively associated with burnout whereas disengagement oriented coping (DOC) is associated negatively with PSP and positively with ECP and burnout (Hill, Hall, & Appleton, 2010a). The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediation effect of coping strategies on the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism and burnout over the course of an athletic season. University level varsity athletes (nfemale = 90; nmale = 35) participated in a longitudinal study involving four time points, each approximately 4-5 weeks apart. The findings revealed that PSP was a negative predictor of burnout whereas ECP was a positive predictor of athletic burnout. Mediation analyses at the within- and between-individual level supported the mediation effect of DOC on the relationship between ECP and burnout and the mediation effect of TOC on the relationship between PSP and burnout. Secondary longitudinal analyses revealed linear decrease in burnout and TOC over a four month period. Quadratic growth models accounted for the change in PSP and DOC during the athletic season. Finally, test of the 2 x 2 model of dispositional perfectionism (Gaudreau & Thompson, 2010) indicated that pure PSP was associated with lower burnout than non-perfectionism, pure ECP was linked with the highest burnout level, and mixed perfectionism was associated with higher burnout than pure PSP. The results revealed consistent relationships between perfectionism, coping, and burnout over time. Overall the study highlighted the role of coping in the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism and athletic burnout.Education, Faculty ofKinesiology, School ofGraduat