DISPOSITIONAL DETERMINANTS OF MENTAL TENSION IN FUTURE COACHES

Abstract

he aim of the study was to examine the level of mental tension experienced by future coaches–athletes and how it is influenced by emotional exhaustion and professional orientation, with a sample size of 100 participants. Methods: The study used validated psycho-diagnostic tools, descriptive statistics, normality tests (Kolmogorov– Smirnov and Shapiro–Wilk), regression analysis, effect size measurement (Cohen's d), and statistical significance coefficients. Results: Using the Mann–Whitney test on the Psychological Stress Scale (PSM-25), significant differences in mental tension were found between future coaches of different specializations and genders (p < .01; d = −1.252). Significant differences were identified in occupational burnout components measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey (MBI-ES): Emotional exhaustion (p < .01; d = −0.904), depersonalization (p < .01; d = −0.454), and reduced personal accomplishment (p < .01; d = −0.666). Professional orientation was evaluated using the Bass Orientation Inventory, revealing significant effects in personal orientation (p < .01; d = −0.951) and task orientation (p < .01; d = 0.774). Multiple regression analysis was applied to forecast causal relationships between mental tension, emotional exhaustion, and professional orientation in future coaches-athletes of different specializations. Independent variables include the following indicators of the test “MBI-ES”: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (Dp), reduction in personal achievements (RPA), and “Bass Orientation Inventory”: рersonal orientation (PO), task orientation (TO), collectivist orientation (CO). Regression analysis results allowed us to create a model that accounts for a fairly large share of predictors in determining the dependent variable (R2 = .773, p = .001). The predictor “emotional exhaustion” with β = 3.111, SE = .230, t = 13.544, and p = .000 has the largest share in the model. The share of this predictor in the model is 43.6 %. The predictor “task orientation” with β = -3.240, SE = .326, t = -9.948, and p = .000 shows a negative effect on mental tension. The share of this predictor in the model is 23.3%. The predictor “depersonalization” with a negative effect on the variability of the dependent variable (β = -1.252, SE = .338, t = -3.703, p = .000) has the smallest share in the model. The share of this predictor in the model is 3.24%. Discussion and conclusions: It was found that future female coaches-athletes generally demonstrate higher levels of psychological stress, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization compared to boys. At the same time, male coaches-athletes are more prone to reflection and less prone to reduction in personal achievements. Emotional exhaustion is a key predictor of mental tension in coaches-athletes, which is corroborated by regression analysis results. Task orientation and depersonalization are the predictors that negatively affect the variability of the dependent variable. Research into future coaches-athletes’ behavior in extreme situations depending on their personality structure, types of sports, professional experience, and level of sports mastery seems promising.