When Minutes Become Meaning: Playing Time, Identity, and Burnout in Division III College Soccer
Location
Room 232, Schewel Hall
Access Type
Open Access
Presentation Type
Oral presentation
Entry Number
204
Start Date
4-16-2026 8:15 AM
End Date
4-16-2026 8:30 AM
School
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department
Psychology
Keywords
Psychology, Coaching, Sports Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Athlete, Athlete mental health, playing time
Abstract
The prevalence of burnout among college athletes has been increasing in recent years; this is a major concern for organizations like the NCAA and universities. By building off of previous research linking athletic identity to burnout, this study introduces playing time as a potential correlate to explain burnout among college athletes. The current study examines the effects of playing time and athletic identity on global burnout and its three subscales: devaluation, exhaustion, and reduced accomplishment. Sixty-eight male and female college soccer players completed a survey containing questions about playing time, athletic identity and athletic burnout. It was hypothesized that there will be an interaction effect between Playing Time and Athletic Identity on burnout scores, with individuals in the low playing time and low athletic identity groups reporting the highest levels of burnout. Additionally, It was hypothesized that there will be a main effect of levels of playing time on burnout scores; there will also be a main effect of athletic identity in terms of burnout scores. The results of a two-way factorial anova indicated a main effect of playing time throughout the season (554 minutes or lower vs. 555 minutes or higher) in terms of global burnout score. This shows that individuals who get less playing time reported a higher burnout. A main effect of athletic identity was not significant. A significant interaction effect between playing time and athletic identity was not observed with regards to the global burnout score. These results indicate that playing time is an important factor for athletic burnout, advancing current understanding of the complex issues regarding the mental well-being of athletes. Decreasing the mental-health crisis in athletics is not an easy task, but using these findings allows organizations like the NCAA, coaches, or universities to better recognize the areas and individuals that need resources.
Primary Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Ei Hlaing
Primary Faculty Mentor(s) Department
Dr. Ei Hlaing
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When Minutes Become Meaning: Playing Time, Identity, and Burnout in Division III College Soccer
Room 232, Schewel Hall
The prevalence of burnout among college athletes has been increasing in recent years; this is a major concern for organizations like the NCAA and universities. By building off of previous research linking athletic identity to burnout, this study introduces playing time as a potential correlate to explain burnout among college athletes. The current study examines the effects of playing time and athletic identity on global burnout and its three subscales: devaluation, exhaustion, and reduced accomplishment. Sixty-eight male and female college soccer players completed a survey containing questions about playing time, athletic identity and athletic burnout. It was hypothesized that there will be an interaction effect between Playing Time and Athletic Identity on burnout scores, with individuals in the low playing time and low athletic identity groups reporting the highest levels of burnout. Additionally, It was hypothesized that there will be a main effect of levels of playing time on burnout scores; there will also be a main effect of athletic identity in terms of burnout scores. The results of a two-way factorial anova indicated a main effect of playing time throughout the season (554 minutes or lower vs. 555 minutes or higher) in terms of global burnout score. This shows that individuals who get less playing time reported a higher burnout. A main effect of athletic identity was not significant. A significant interaction effect between playing time and athletic identity was not observed with regards to the global burnout score. These results indicate that playing time is an important factor for athletic burnout, advancing current understanding of the complex issues regarding the mental well-being of athletes. Decreasing the mental-health crisis in athletics is not an easy task, but using these findings allows organizations like the NCAA, coaches, or universities to better recognize the areas and individuals that need resources.
Comments
Link to slides if that is needed here:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12Ps8ShLcUL0K6KJp56UEEJBcYntJjxTswlYqV8n1f0Q/edit?usp=sharing