Burnout syndrome and resilience in soccer and basketball referees

Abstract

Burnout syndrome is analyzed in soccer and basketball referees, along with the relationship between resilience scores and this syndrome. The sample was composed of 265 referees (41.9% were soccer referees and 58.1% basketball). Evaluations were conducted using the Burnout in Sport Revised Questionnaire (IBD-R) and the Resilience Scale (RS). The soccer referees, when compared with those of basketball, showed greater emotional exhaustion (p = .002), depersonalization (p = .024) and personal fulfillment (p < .001). Those who obtained high scores on resilience (29.8%) (> 147 points in RS) in comparison with those who obtained low resilience scores (70.2%), showed lower emotional exhaustion (p = .007) and reduced personal achievement (p < .001); but there were no differences in depersonalization (p = .561). Soccer referees have a greater risk of obtaining scores that indicate low resilience [OR = 2.83] compared with basketball referees (p < .001; 95% CI. [1.58-5.06]). It was found that Personal Competency produces the greatest explanatory increase (ΔR2 = .207) and predictive capacity (β = .539) for Personal Achievement. In future, it would be interesting to analyze both the contextual variables and the coping strategies used by the participants to determine the differences observed in burnout and resilience.