DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN ATHLETES: THE ROLE OF PERFECTIONISM, EMOTIONAL BURNOUT, AND STRESS

Abstract

The frequency of depressive disorders in the modern world is increasing. These disorders have a range of symptoms that affect quality of life. Athletes, because of the nature of their activity, are also subject to these symptoms, as they have to expend a lot of energy, both physically and psychologically. The objective of the study was to identify the specific factors associated with depressive symptoms that are characteristic of athletes and to explore their relation to the level of depression. A total of 46 athletes aged from 18 to 54 years (Mage = 24, SDage = 6.49) of different sports participated in the study. Several methods were chosen as diagnostic tools to study the level of depression, the level of perceived stress, emotional burnout and perfectionism in athletes. It was shown that the higher the level of emotional burnout, stress, perfectionism and decrease in performance were, the higher the level of depressive symptoms was. The conducted research confirmed the importance of studying the factors of depression symptoms and revealed the necessity of developing ways to control these factors in athletes in order to avoid increasing depressive tendencies.