LAUSR

CONTEXT Burnout is occurring in the athletic training profession. Although there is growing data on the concept, the secondary school employment setting is often overlooked. With the secondary school setting growing rapidly, better understanding of burnout is warranted, as it has been linked to attrition. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to better understand burnout among secondary school athletic trainers with a particular focus on differences between men and women utilizing the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). DESIGN Cross sectional survey. SETTING Secondary school athletic trainers. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Athletic trainers who work in the secondary school setting were recruited via email to participate in the online survey. 571 (195 men, 372 women, 3 transgender women, 3 not listed) responses were included after filtering of responses that were incomplete. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Participants were asked to complete an online survey via Qualtrics LLC Software Program (Provo, Utah). The survey consisted of demographic and workplace questions along with 3 scales: Perceived Stress Scale, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and Work- Family Conflict Scale. Non-parametric analysis was utilized to investigate the difference in scale scores between groups. RESULTS Participants reported a mean score of 40.1 (±16.28) on the CBI scale. Women scored significantly higher on the personal-burnout subscale (t570= 24.501, P= <.001), the work-related burnout subscale (t570= 11.347, P= <.001), and the total CBI scores (t570= 9.423, P= .002). Participants who were 30 years old and younger scored significantly higher on the personal burnout subscale(t515= 5.53, P= .019), the work-related subscale(t515= 7.812, P= .005), and total CBI scores(t515= 4.194, P= .041). Those with 3 or less years of experience scored significantly higher on the personal-burnout subscale (t570= 11.213, P= <.001), the work-related burnout subscale (t570= 6.557, P= .010), and the total CBI scores (t570= 4.722, P= .030). CONCLUSIONS Low levels of burnout is being reported among secondary school athletic trainers. Women athletic trainers experience greater levels of burnout, as well as personal and work-related burnout. Early career athletic trainers also report higher levels of burnout, suggesting the need for more support during this time.