The relationship of passion to sport specialization, injury, and burnout in NCAA Division 1 college athletes

Abstract: Introduction: Passion can be described as a strong inclination toward an activity and has previously been utilized to characterize numerous facets of student-athlete lives. However, the correlation between passion, injury, and burnout has not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, the primary focus of this study is to identify the passion scores of current National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I student-athletes and describe the correlation of passion and burnout in athletes and define the potential relationship of passion with athlete injury. Methods: The research team utilized an observational study design that implemented a cross-sectional survey. Following Institutional Review Board approval and obtaining informed consent, REDCap electronic data capture tools was utilized to collect demographic information, the Passion Scale, and the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire. Correlation and multiple linear regression were used to assess the relationship between passion scores and athlete injury. Results: The average age of participants was 19.9 years old. Although sport participation characteristics were comparable between genders, females indicated significantly greater exhaustion burnout scores and obsessive passion compared to males but were otherwise comparable. General and harmonious passion showed significant negative correlations with reduced accomplishment, sport devaluation, and exhaustion burnout. Conclusion: While the results indicate that variation in both general and harmonious passion scores are associated with sport type, it is unclear whether assessment of specific sports are adequately represented within our analysis and as such, should be interpreted with caution. Future studies should focus on specific sports to better understand their association to passion, burnout, and risk of injury.