Athletes` Adaptation to Severe Injuries: A Longitudinal Study

Background: Injuries represent a significant type of within-career change-event, associated with a negative emotional response, loss of confidence and performance decrements (Brewer, 2007; Samuel & Tenenbaum, 2011b). Researchers are challenged to examine the potential effects of injuries on athletes` motivation, identity and associated decision-making. This study applied the Scheme of Change for Sport Psychology Practice (SCSPP; Samuel & Tenenbaum, 2011a) to examine injury experiences of athletes.

Methods: A prospective longitudinal design was applied. We followed six active competitive athletes (M age = 21.83 yrs, SD = 2.93) who experienced a torn knee ACL and underwent rehabilitation in a sports medicine center. The athletes completed measurements of change-event experiences, coping strategy usage and athletic identity, close to their injury, at the middle of and at the end of their rehabilitation process. A multiple case-study design was used to treat the data.

Results: The athletes perceived a severe injury as a significant change-event in their careers. They exhibited similar change processes: a reduction of emotional disturbance, maintenance of high athletic identity, a strategic decision to consult with others and a subsequent decision to make the necessary adjustments to actively cope. Nevertheless, they differed in the perceived outcome of this change-event.

Discussion and Conclusions: The findings correspond with previous studies and provide support for the conceptual tenets of the SCSPP. Practitioners are advised to assist athletes in coping with their emotional reactions to injuries, maintaining high athletic identity, using adaptive coping strategies, making a decision to change and identifying effective support resources.