Wheelchair basketball athletes suffer from stressors such as inadequate preparation for
competition, functional classification, and performance concerns. Therefore, when stress
becomes chronic, it can result in burnout, defined as a syndrome with three dimensions:
physical and emotional exhaustion, reduced sense of sporting achievement, and sporting
devaluation. However, burnout can be prevented or mitigated with the use of coping
strategies, which are continuous efforts of thought and action to manage situations evaluated
as stressful. This dissertation was composed of two studies. The first is a systematic review
study aimed at synthesizing the existing literature on burnout and coping in athletes with
disabilities and identifying the psychological and physical variables associated with burnout
and coping in this population. Seven articles with a predominance of cross-sectional design
were selected. It is concluded that the scientific production in relation to coping and burnout
in athletes with disabilities is under construction due to the few studies, mainly on burnout,
found in this review. Coping is associated with self-determined motivation and functional
class, and burnout is associated with socially prescribed perfectionism and sleep. The second
consists of an original study with the objective of identifying the most perceived dimensions
of burnout and coping strategies, analyzing the perception of burnout and coping according
to the placement in the championship, and relating the functional class with the dimensions
of burnout and coping strategies. Seventy-one wheelchair basketball athletes completed the
Athlete Burnout Questionnaire and Athletic Coping Skills Inventory during the competitive
phase. The results showed that, in relation to the burnout dimensions, the reduced sense of
sporting achievement was more perceived than physical and emotional exhaustion, while the
worry-free coping strategy was the least perceived. No differences were observed in the
perception of burnout or coping in relation to the placement of the team in the final
classification of the competition. In addition, there was no relationship between functional
class and burnout or coping. We conclude that team performance does not interfere with the
perception of burnout or coping, and the functional class is not a key factor for burnout or
coping.
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