Stephanie Miner and Professor David Kaiser, Exercise Sciences
The goal of this study was to expand the literature on the psychological effect of injury on intramural athletes. This study replicated a qualitative study (Tracey, 2003) which investigated the emotional response to injury and the rehabilitation process of intercollegiate athletes. This study was designed to investigate the emotional response of recreational athletes injured while competing in intramural activities. In Tracey’s study, similar emotions to those found in other athletic injury research were observed, such as feelings of loss, decreased self-esteem, frustration, anger, anxiety, fear, and confusion. Tracey was seeking to extend the literature on psychology of injury by interviewing the athletes at three phases of their recovery; the onset of injury, one week post-injury, and three weeks post-injury. Tracey examined the emotions expressed and how the cognitions influenced the emotional responses of the athletes. Some other effects that transpired were frustration, followed by a transfer of energy from athletics to academic work, increased positive attitude, negative feelings toward a loss of independence and freedom, feeling sorry for themselves, shock, and fear of invulnerability. Along with these outcomes, the participants described the importance of keeping things in perspective (Tracey, 2003). This study involved interviewing injured intramural athletes in a similar manner, using the same outline of interview questions as Tracey to structure the interviews.
The research has shown the importance of not only recognizing, but learning to help athletes deal with the psychological consequences of injury (Bianco, Malo, & Orlick, 1999; Tracey, 2003). “There is some evidence that individuals can grow in positive ways from adversity. Additionally, there is also evidence indicating that individuals who can ‘make sense’ of aversive experiences tend to experience higher levels of psychological adjustment” (Udry, Gould, Bridges, & Beck, 1997). This study broadens the literature on the psychology of athletic injury by including intramural athletes. The hypotheses were: 1) Following injury, there is a significant negative impact on the psychological well-being of the recreational athletes; 2) In comparison with studies done with intercollegiate athletes, there will be no difference in the psychological distress of intramural athletes to that of intercollegiate athletes. The premise was that if intramural athletes do indeed experience similar psychological distress to that found with intercollegiate athletes, ignoring these psychological factors could be detrimental to the injured intramural athlete’s recovery and overall health.
The first hypothesis examined in this study stated that following injury, there is a significant negative impact on the psychological well-being of the recreational athletes. The recreational athletes interviewed in this study did experience an array of negative emotions that impacted their psychological well-being. The results of this study are similar to previous research in that injury did have an effect on the emotions of the recreational athletes who participated in this study. Tracey found in her interviews that the athletes felt “angry, depressed, down, afraid, confused, frustrated, and worried” (Tracey, 2003). While the subjects in this study did not express all of those emotions, they did express both anger and frustration. Subject one mentioned being scared because he had never had a concussion before and was scared that his memory might not come back.
The second hypothesis stated that in comparison with studies done with intercollegiate athletes, there will be no difference in the psychological distress of intramural athletes to that of intercollegiate athletes. This was supported based on the emotions expressed by the recreational athletes during each interview as mentioned above. Another finding in this study that was similar to that found in Tracey’s study with intercollegiate athletes was the need for and appreciation of social support. Tracey acknowledged her role as a researcher as being a form of social support to the athletes (Tracey, 2003). In the present study, due to only conducting two interviews and having less contact with each athlete, the researcher was not a means of social support. It could be argued, however, that the researcher provided an opportunity for each athlete to express their emotions in a confidential setting. This can be supportive of emotional recovery from injury. Three of the four subjects in this study acknowledged friends, roommates, or significant others who were a support and strength to them as they dealt with their injuries.
In the middle of conducting this research study, I graduated and moved back to my home in Virginia. Before graduation I was conducting the interviews in person and had only been able to interview four injured athletes. The interviews with those four subjects sparked my interest and desire to continue the research in order to obtain more information and understanding about the intramural athletes’ experience with injury. I worked closely with the intramural office at Brigham Young University and was able to interview seven more injured athletes over the phone. The research is not yet complete, and I am submitting an abstract to present my findings at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association conference. I am currently an assistant coach for a high school basketball team, so I hope to be able to use this knowledge about the psychological experience of injury should any of my players get injured during the season.
In addition to continuing this research, some suggestions for further research are to look at the effect of gender on the emotions expressed and the impact of injury for males vs. females. Research should also look into the influence of the team as a support to the injured athlete. Tracey found that some injured athletes felt their team and coach were great supports, as well as attending practice and still feeling like a part of their team. Other athletes felt anxiety and fear because their injury could cause them to lose their starting position or playing time (Tracey, 2003). Intramural teams do not usually have coaches and “starter” status and playing time doesn’t have as big of a role in recreational sports, so it would be interesting to see how that difference effects the emotions of recreational athletes compared to intercollegiate athletes.
References
- Tracey, J. (2003). The emotional response to the injury and rehabilitation process. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 15, 279-293.
- Udry, E., Gould, D., Bridges, D., & Beck, L. (1997). Down but not out: Athletes’ responses to season-ending injuries. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 19, 229-248.
- Bianco, T., Malo, S., & Orlick, T. (1999). Sport injury and illness: Elite skiers describe their experiences. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 70, 157-169.