| Athletes who sustain a sport injury must deal with both the physiological aspects of rehabilitation and the psychological factors that accompany the injury process. The primary purpose of this study was to identify psychological aspects of the athletic injury experience. A secondary purpose was to investigate the existence of gender differences between injured male and female athletes.; Thirty-one injured, intercollegiate athletes were interviewed about their experiences with athletic injuries, 15 males and 16 females. A qualitative method was necessary because of the number of unidentified factors, the complexity involved with the experience, and the focus on the importance of the meaning the injury had in the life of the individual. Each participant went through a multi-level data gathering procedure that consisted of completing an introductory/general information form (Phase 1), an in-depth interview focusing on the injury experience (Phase 2), an individual follow-up interview to clarify information from the main interview (Phase 3), and a follow-up telephone interview after the study was completed in order to solicit the opinions of the participants on the conclusions drawn from the data analysis (Phase 4).; The interview data were inductively analyzed following an 8-step procedure that served to break the data into categories and to construct higher order themes. Two higher order themes, each made up from several data categories, were identified, The first theme was the factors that "influenced the response"; these factors included relationships (teammates, parents, other injured athletes, doctors, and trainers), the coach, the identity or importance of athletic participation, the team and sport subculture, the timing of the injury, level of pain, and the prognosis/diagnosis. The second theme was the athletes' "response," which was made up of the emotional response, the process of accommodation, and benefits of the injury. Results also indicate differences between male and female athletes. Female athletes tended to perceive the coaches as much more negative with respect to how the coach treated them following their injury, were less likely to talk about a significant other (boyfriend/girlfriend), and were more concerned about how the injury would influence their health at a future point. The results are discussed within the context of the previous research and current models of psychological response to injuries. The applied implications of the findings and possible limitations of the design are also presented. |
