Work-Family Conflict and Family Role Performance Among Collegiate Athletic Trainers.

CONTEXT: Work-life balance continues to be a focal point of athletic training research, particularly due to the job challenges and demands of health care providers. Despite a large body of literature, much is still unexplored, especially in the area of family role performance (FRP). OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships between work-family conflict (WFC), FRP, and various demographic variables among athletic trainers employed in the collegiate setting. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online survey. SETTING: Collegiate setting. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: A total of 586 collegiate athletic trainers (females = 374, males = 210, sex variant or nonconforming = 1, preferred not to answer = 1). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Data were collected through an online survey (Qualtrics) in which participants responded to demographic questions and previously validated WFC and FRP scales. Demographic data were reported and analyzed for descriptive information and frequencies. Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to identify differences among groups. RESULTS: Participants' mean scores were 28.19 ± 6.01 and 45.86 ± 11.55 for the FRP and WFC scales, respectively. Mann-Whitney U tests revealed differences between men and women for WFC scores (U = 344 667, P = .021). The FRP score was moderately negatively correlated with the WFC total score (rs[584] = -0.497, P < .001) and predicted the WFC score (b = 72.02, t582 = -13.30, P = .001). The Mann-Whitney U test demonstrated that married athletic trainers (47.20 ± 11.92) had higher WFC scores than those who were not married (43.48 ± 11.78; U = 19847.00, P = .003). Mann-Whitney U analysis (U = 32 096.00, P = .001) also revealed a difference between collegiate athletic trainers with children (48.16 ± 12.44) and those without children (44.68 ± 10.90). CONCLUSIONS: Collegiate athletic trainers experienced more WFC with marriage and having children. We propose that the time required to raise a family and build relationships may cause WFC due to time incongruencies. Athletic trainers want to be able to spend time with their families; however, when such time is highly limited, then WFC increases.

Work-Family Conflict and Family Role Performance Among Collegiate Athletic Trainers.

CONTEXT: Work-life balance continues to be a focal point of athletic training research, particularly due to the job challenges and demands of healthcare providers. Despite a large body of literature, much is still unexplored, especially in the area of family role performance. OBJECTIVE: Examine the relationship between work-family conflict (WFC), family role performance (FRP) and various demographic variables among athletic trainers employed in the collegiate setting. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online survey. SETTING: Collegiate setting. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: 586 collegiate athletic trainers (females=374, males=210, gender variant/non-conforming=1, preferred not to answer=1). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Data were collected through an online survey (Qualtrics) where participants responded to demographic questions and previously validated WFC and FRP scales. Demographic data were reported and analyzed for descriptives and frequencies. Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to identify differences among groups. RESULTS: Participants mean scores were 28.19±6.01 and 45.86±11.55 for the FRP and WFC scales respectively. Mann Whitney-U tests revealed statistically different differences between men and women for WFC scores (U=344667, p=.021). Family role performance was moderately negatively correlated with WFC total score (rs[584] = -.497, p<.001) and predicted WFC scores (b=72.02, t582=-13.30, p=.001). Mann Whitney-U test demonstrated married athletic trainers (47.20±11.92) had statistically significantly higher WFC scores (U=19847.00, p=.003) than those who were not married (43.48±11.78). Mann Whitney U analysis (U=32096.00 p=.001) also found a significant difference between college athletic trainers with children (48.16±12.44) and those without children (44.68±10.90). CONCLUSIONS: Collegiate athletic trainers experience more WFC with marriage and having children. These findings indicate that time required to raise a family and build relationships may cause WFC due to time incongruencies. Athletic trainers want to engage in their family roles, when this is limited WFC increases.

Age, Sex, and Years of Experience: Examining Burnout Among Secondary School Athletic Trainers.

CONTEXT: Burnout is occurring in the athletic training profession. Although data on burnout are growing, the secondary school employment setting is often overlooked in research. With the employment of athletic trainers in the secondary school setting growing rapidly, a better understanding of burnout is warranted, as it has been linked to attrition. OBJECTIVE: To better understand burnout among secondary school athletic trainers using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), with a particular focus on differences between men and women. 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. A total of 572 (373 women, 195 men, and 4 unreported) responses were included after we filtered out incomplete responses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Participants were asked to complete an online survey, which consisted of demographic and workplace questions along with 3 scales (ie, Perceived Stress Scale, CBI, and Work-Family Conflict Scale). Nonparametric analysis was used to investigate the differences in scale scores between groups. RESULTS: Participants reported a mean score of 40.1 (± 16.28) on the CBI scale. Women's scores were higher on the personal burnout subscale (t570 = 24.501, P ≤ .001), work-related burnout subscale (t570 = 11.347, P ≤ .001), and total CBI (t570 = 9.423, P = .002). Participants who were ≤30 years of age scored higher on the personal burnout subscale (t515 = 5.53, P = .019), work-related subscale (t515 = 7.812, P = .005), and total CBI (t515 = 4.194, P = .041). Those with ≤3 years of experience scored higher on the personal burnout subscale (t570 = 11.213, P ≤ .001), work-related burnout subscale (t570 = 6.557, P = .010), and total CBI (t570 = 4.722, P = .030). CONCLUSIONS: Low levels of burnout are being reported among secondary school athletic trainers. Female athletic trainers experienced greater levels of burnout, as well as personal and work-related burnout. Early-career athletic trainers also reported higher levels of burnout, suggesting the need for more support during this time.