Examining the Mediation of Sport Engagement and Self-Confidence in the Effect of Self-Regulation on Burnout in Athletes: A Structural Equation Modeling Study

The aim of this study was to examine the mediation of self-esteem and sport engagement in the effect of self-regulation on burnout in athletes and to compare these variables according to some socio-demographic factors. The participants of the study, which was conducted with a correlational cross-sectional survey design, were 303 athletes of the Faculty of Sports Science. The Sportive Self-Regulation Scale (SSRS) was used to measure self-regulation, the Sport Engagement Scale (SES) to measure sport engagement, the Trait Sport-Confidence Inventory (TSCI) to measure sport confidence, and the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) to measure burnout. Results indicate that there are significant relationships between SSRS, SES, TSCI, and ABQ in student athletes. While sport age was positively associated with SSRS and SES, chronological age was not associated with any variable. When measures were compared by gender and type of sport, females and single sport participants had lower TSCI means. The 4th grade athletes had low SES and TSCI averages and high ABQ averages. Mediation results reveal that SSRS predicts SES and TSCI, SES does not have a mediating role because it does not predict ABQ, TSCI predicts ABQ and SSRS is a full mediator in its effect on ABQ.