Abstract
Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in early childhood and persists throughout life. This study aims to examine the job satisfaction and professional burnout levels of sports trainers providing services to individuals with ASD based on various variables (sex, age, years of experience).Method: The study included a total of 156 sports trainers working in autism sports club and associations, consisting of 79 females and 77 males. Participants completed a demographic information form, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ).Findings: No significant differences were found in the subscales of the MBI according to sex. However, depersonalization and personal accomplishment showed significant differences according to age, while personal accomplishment also differed significantly between trainers with 1-3 years and 7-9 years of experience. In the MSQ, significant differences were observed in the extrinsic satisfaction and general satisfaction subscales according to sex, and between the 20-25 age group and the 26-30 and 31+ age groups. However, no significant differences were found in job satisfaction levels based on years of experience. In the correlation analysis of the MBI and MSQ subscales, only personal accomplishment was found to be positively correlated with intrinsic, extrinsic, and general satisfaction.Discussion: As sports trainers age, their depersonalization and sense of personal accomplishment increase, and as their years of professional experience grow, their sense of personal accomplishment also improves. Male trainers reported higher external and general job satisfaction compared to female trainers. Additionally, job satisfaction levels increased with age but remained unaffected by years of experience. Furthermore, sports trainers working with individuals with ASD may exhibit emotionally detached behaviors due to excessive workload, and as their level of depersonalization increases, their intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction decreases.