A qualitative analysis of how the timing of the onset of sports injuries influences athlete reactions.Athletes respond to the injury experience in very different ways (Brewer, 1994; Brewer, 2001; Flint flint, mineral flint, variety of quartz that commonly occurs in rounded nodules and whose crystal structure is not visible to the naked eye. Flint is dark gray, smoky brown, or black in color; pale gray flint is called chert. , 1998; Smith, Scott, O'Fallon, & Young, 1990). Many studies have shown that injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. athletes report negative emotions following the onset of a sport injury (Chan & Grossman, 1988; Crossman, Gluck, & Jamieson, 1995; Pearson & Jones, 1992; Quackenbush & Crossman, 1994). Such findings are not only limited to self-report measures: qualitative methods have revealed that athletes encounter similar feelings (Wiese-Bjornstal, Smith, Shafer, & Money, 1998). The question that researchers have yet to answer is why some injured athletes experience greater levels of psychological distress psychological distress The end result of factors–eg, psychogenic pain, internal conflicts, and external stress that prevent a person from self-actualization and connecting with 'significant others'. See Humanistic psychology. than others? To answer this, researchers have turned to the theory of cognitive appraisal (Brewer, 1994; Brewer, 2001; Brewer, Linder, & Phelps, 1995; Kerr & Miller, 2001; Weiss & Troxel, 1986). Advocates of the theory & cognitive appraisal have explained the wide array of emotions encountered by injured athletes by exploring athletes' perceptions of the injury experience. Accordingly, the way that an athlete interprets and evaluates his/her injury is an important determinant determinant, a polynomial expression that is inherent in the entries of a square matrix. The size n of the square matrix, as determined from the number of entries in any row or column, is called the order of the determinant. of his/her emotional and/or behavioral response to the injury experience (Brewer, 2001; Weiss & Troxel). If the athlete views the injury as a possible threat to his/her participation in sport, he/she will experience a negative emotional response. On the other hand, the same athlete may not respond negatively to the occurrence of a sport injury if his/her appraisal of the injury situation is positive and the athlete believes that he/she is able to cope with the injury experience (Kerr & Miller; Weiss & Troxel; Wiese-Bjornstal et al., 1998). Cognitive appraisal is influenced by a variety of personal and situational factors. Personal factors are characteristics of the athlete that are an inherent part of his/her personality disposition and remain constant across all situations, e.g., self-esteem, trait trait (trat) 1. any genetically determined characteristic; also, the condition prevailing in the heterozygous state of a recessive disorder, as the sickle cell trait. 2. a distinctive behavior pattern. anxiety, and locus of control locus of control n. A theoretical construct designed to assess a person's perceived control over his or her own behavior. The classification internal locus indicates that the person feels in control of events; external locus . Situational factors are events in the athlete's social and physical environment that are unstable and can not be controlled by the athlete, e.g., the time of season that the injury occurs. One situational factor that has received very little attention in the literature is timing of the injury in the sport season. If an athlete incurs an injury at the beginning of the sport season, he/she may not encounter the same level of negative affect as an athlete who is injured at the middle of the season. The earlier the injury occurs, the more optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op the athlete may be to return to sport without completely missing the competitive season (Weiss & Troxel, 1986). In contrast, athletes who become injured at the end of the season or during the post season may be devastated dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. by the possibility that they may not be able to return to sport before the end of the season or before the start of a very important competition (Flint, 1998; Kerr & Miller, 2001). The emotional consequences of season-ending injuries may continue into the next competitive season (Heil, 1993). As a result, these athletes may respond more negatively to the injury experience (Flint). Similarly, one athlete may be devastated by the fact that his/her injury occurred during the post-season and he/she was unable to participate in one of the most important games of his/her athletic career while another athlete may view the same situation positively. This athlete may view the injury as an opportunity to withdraw from an exceptionally bad season. In this respect, the athlete who is devastated by his/her injury is more likely to encounter negative emotions than the athlete who has a positive outlook on the same situation. To date, however, support for these assumptions is non-existent. Although researchers have recognized the importance of understanding the influence of the timing of injury onset on athlete appraisals of injury, the situation and the importance of the season on athletes' emotional reaction has yet to be studied (Brewer, 1994; Crossman, 1997; Flint, 1998). According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Flint, literature on this topic is merely based on anecdotal anecdotal /an·ec·do·tal/ (an?ek-do´t'l) based on case histories rather than on controlled clinical trials. anecdotal adjective Unsubstantiated; occurring as single or isolated event. comments. The purpose of the present research, therefore, was to determine the relationship between timing of injury onset in the sport season and the importance of the season on athlete reactions. Method Mode of Inquiry A qualitative approach was deemed the most appropriate research method to determine the factors related to timing of injury onset. Researchers have contended that qualitative methods should be employed to investigate the psychology of athletic injury because it is a relatively complex phenomenon that remains virtually unexplored (Bianco et al., 1999; Evans & Hardy, 1995; Johnston & Carroll, 1998). In this respect, qualitative research Qualitative research Traditional analysis of firm-specific prospects for future earnings. It may be based on data collected by the analysts, there is no formal quantitative framework used to generate projections. methods may provide insight into athletes' interpretations of the injury situation without being influenced by researchers' opinions (Gould, Udry, Bridges, & Beck, 1997; Johnston & Carroll; Udry, Gould, Bridges, & Beck 1997). Past researchers have also suggested that qualitative methodology can provide insight into relatively complex and unexplored areas in the psychology of sport injury by documenting athletes' subjective opinions on the process of experiencing an athletic injury (Brewer, 1994; Gould et al.; Johnston & Carroll). Participants A total of 20 (n = 10 male and n = 10 female) athletes involved in the sport of basketball at the recreational (n = 10) and varsity (n = 10) level of participation volunteered to participate in the present study. The mean age of participants was 22.10 years (SD = 1.77 years). All athletes had experienced an injury at some point in their athletic endeavors and averaged 9.89 years involved in the sport of basketball. Athletes weren't required to be injured at the time of the interviews because the researchers felt that situational variables including injury status and previous experience with injury might influence the type of appraisal made by each group. A second reason for not requiring that athletes be injured at the time of data collection was due to the difficulty of finding similarly injured athletes for each time of the season. Measures Demographic Questionnaire. Participants were given a demographic questionnaire created by the researcher to measure demographic variables including age, gender, level of sport, position played, number of years involved in sport, perceived athleticism, the importance of sport to the athlete's life, and previous experience with injury. In addition, athletes were asked to indicate the number of weeks allocated for each time of the season. Interview Schedule. An interview schedule (also devised by the researchers) consisting of pre-determined questions and probes was used by the researcher to standardize the interviews and minimize the effects of interviewer and reactive biases. The questions asked can be found in Table 1. Operational Definitions After speaking to athletes involved in the sport of basketball, the researchers decided on four time periods to base the interview questions on including pre, mid, end, and post-season. Pre-season was defined to participants as the training period before the season begins. Mid-season was explained as the middle of the season in which exhibition games are played. End-season was defined as the last few weeks of the season when the team is trying to make the playoffs and post-season was described as the playoffs. Procedures Once approval to complete the study was obtained from the University's Ethics Advisory Committee, pilot interviews with three athletes who did not participate in the study were conducted by the researcher who has been trained to conduct interviews. The interviews were videotaped to allow a second researcher to review the tapes and then discuss the questions that were used and the interview style with the primary researcher. This precaution was taken to eliminate any interviewer and reactive biases prior to the actual data collection and to identify and revise any questions participants did not understand. Following the pilot interviews, permission to interview the athletes was obtained from the men's and women's varsity basketball coaches and Campus Recreation. Members of the University's co-ed recreational basketball league were then approached to participate in the study and a list of possible recreational participants was developed. Participants were randomly chosen from this list and from the male and female varsity basketball team rosters, contacted by the researcher, and an interview time and date was confirmed. Prior to the interview, a cover letter, a consent form and a demographic questionnaire was distributed to the participant to complete. At this time, the researchers' definition of pre, mid, end, and post-season was discussed and the participant's perception of the length of each time of the season was recorded. The interview was then conducted with the aid of a standardized interview schedule and large cue cue, n a stimulus that determines or may prompt the nature of a person's response. cue Psychology Any sensory stimulus that evokes a learned patterned response. See Conditioning. cards that helped the participant remember what time of the season was being discussed. The interview schedule was semi-structured to allow for follow-up questions if appropriate. In the interview, the participant was instructed to imagine an injury that would prevent him/her from participating in basketball for the period of one month. By using hypothetical Hypothetical is an adjective, meaning of or pertaining to a hypothesis. See:
adj. 1. Not constituting a vital element or part. 2. Inessential or unrelated to the topic or matter at hand; irrelevant. See Synonyms at irrelevant. 3. variables on the results. To ensure that participants had a standard criterion upon which to base their answers, this hypothetical injury scenario was used throughout the interview. The researcher did not provide participants with a specific injury to determine if participants' perceptions of injury severity and type of injury affected their appraisal of the hypothetical injury scenario. Interviews ranged in time from 30 to 60 minutes following which, the participant was debriefed. Interviews were then transcribed verbatim ver·ba·tim adj. Using exactly the same words; corresponding word for word: a verbatim report of the conversation. adv. by the second researcher for accuracy. Data Analysis All of the transcribed interviews were imported into the QSR QSR Quick Service Restaurant QSR QoS (Quality of Service) Satisfaction Rate QSR Quality System Regulations QSR Quality Status Report QSR Quality System Review QSR Quarterly Status Report QSR Quality System Requirement NUD*IST NUD*IST Non-numerical Unstructured Data Indexing, Searching, and Theorizing (Non-numerical Unstructured Data Data that does not reside in fixed locations. Free-form text in a word processing document is a typical example. Contrast with structured data. See free-form database. Indexing, Searching, and Theorizing) computer software package. NUD*IST is a flexible qualitative data analysis program that is designed to help researchers store, explore, and browse documents thereby facilitating the organization of data into categories and sub-categories. Coding of data into these categories is done directly on the computer screen and can be inspected, modified, and manipulated as researchers identify patterns and themes emerging from the data (Johnston & Carroll 1998; Richards & Richards, 1991). The use of computer programs has dramatically improved the efficiency and accuracy of qualitative research and has changed the negative perception traditionally associated with this form of data analysis. Richards and Richards (1992) acknowledge that there are a number of benefits associated with qualitative data analysis programs such as NUD*IST. In contrast to the labour intensive manual methods of qualitative analysis Qualitative Analysis Securities analysis that uses subjective judgment based on nonquantifiable information, such as management expertise, industry cycles, strength of research and development, and labor relations. , NUD*IST allows the researcher to store text efficiently, to access documents easily, to quickly move back into documents to retrieve and browse contextual information, to manage extensive amounts of coding, and to revise and expand categories and sub-categories with relatively little effort. Although NUD*IST has made the tasks of the qualitative researcher easier and more efficient, it is important to note that it does so without sabotaging the traditional methods of qualitative data analysis (Richards & Richards, 1992). NUD*IST was developed to support the building and testing of grounded theory (Richards & Richards, 1991). The computer program is only a vehicle meant to assist the researcher in the handling and management of data. The researcher is ultimately responsible for the creation of categories and the identification of patterns that culminate culminate, in astronomy, the maximum height in the sky reached by a celestial body on a given day. At the culminate the body is crossing the observer's celestial meridian and is said to be in upper transit. into theory. In the present study, data were coded by the researchers according to the constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). First, the transcripts were examined in detail and text related to each time of the season (pre, mid, end, and post) was coded accordingly. The text to each corresponding time of the season was then scrutinized and common features were identified as each paragraph in the data was compared for similarities and differences. Once similarities in the data were discovered, the text was placed into categories and sub-categories as like concepts were grouped together (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Further comparison and contrasting of the data led to the modification of some categories and the addition of new categories until the data no longer generated new information and theoretical saturation saturation, of an organic compound saturation, of an organic compound, condition occurring when its molecules contain no double or triple bonds and thus cannot undergo addition reactions. occurred (Glaser & Strauss). Several steps were taken throughout the process of data analysis to establish credibility. Specialized written notes to the researchers called "memos" were kept from the beginning of the analysis until theoretical saturation was reached. Memos typically include directions for the researchers to carry out, questions regarding the data the researchers may have, leads for the researchers to follow up on, the researcher's thoughts on categories and their properties, and his/her notions regarding the relationships between concepts. It is essential for the qualitative researcher to record memos throughout the process of data analysis because they help the researcher achieve higher levels of abstract thinking. Moreover, memos contain the patterns and themes that become the basis of theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1990). The second technique used to establish credibility was peer debriefing de·brief·ing n. 1. The act or process of debriefing or of being debriefed. 2. The information imparted during the process of being debriefed. Noun 1. . Peer debriefing is a process in which a second researcher familiar with the area and methodology provides the primary researcher with feedback on coding, categories, and theories that are developed. The second researcher asks probing questions to clarify the primary researcher's interpretations and challenging any biases the primary researcher may have (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Finally, participants were contacted when necessary to ensure the accuracy of the researcher's interpretation. This technique is known as member checking. Member checks allow the researcher to ascertain how the participant intended his/her information to be perceived and provide the participant with the opportunity to correct errors or wrong interpretations (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Results The results section is divided into four subcategories according to the timing of the onset of the injury. A number of themes emerge in the results which influence how athletes react when faced with an injury that would prevent them from practise prac·tise v. & n. Chiefly British Variant of practice. prac  tis·er n. and competition for one month.
They include: the team and individual goals at that point in the season,
team cohesion cohesion: see adhesion and cohesion. Cohesion (physics) The tendency of atoms or molecules to coalesce into extended condensed states. This tendency is practically universal. issues, the importance of physical and skill training, the influence of being in the final year of eligibility, the athlete's status on the team (i.e., starter vs non-starter), the team's record, the length of the subseason (i.e., pre, mid, end, post), and the severity of the injury. Pre-season Pre-season is a highly anticipated time because it is the beginning of a new year and athletes are very excited to start playing again. Athletes who are injured may be frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: and disappointed because they are unable to participate in such an eventful point in the year. The intensity of emotion felt by injured athletes, however, depends on the extent of their injury. Many athletes view pre-season as important because tryouts occur at this time. At this point in the season, injured athletes who believe that they have a secure spot on the team despite their injury will feel more confident that those who aren't secure about making the team. Many athletes noted that depending on the severity and extent of the injury, they would participate in tryouts despite their injury to show the coach that they deserve to be a member of the team. Athletes used descriptive terms such as "frustrating frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: ", "upset", "emotionally hard", and "terrible" to explain how they would feel if they were injured in pre-season and were unable to experience the first stages of team cohesion. It is important for athletes to be able to play during the pre-season because this is the time in which the team begins to become a cohesive cohesive, n the capability to cohere or stick together to form a mass. unit on an emotional and physical level. As one female recreational player said: "... being hurt in pre-season you still would go to practices but it wouldn't be the same as being involved with them and passing the ball around with each other." Not only do the injured athletes miss the chance to become comfortable with their teammates style of play, they also lose the opportunity to form close personal relationships with these people. Some athletes may even feel like they let their team down because they were injured and were unable to help the team become a cohesive unit. Starters who have a leadership role on the team, for instance, may feel that their inability to play may cause the team to fall apart because the other players won't believe that they will be able to have a successful season without the starter. Physical training is a major aspect of the pre-season. Athletes who are injured at this time may not feel that they will be able to regain their physical strength and conditioning before the team begins playing games in the mid-season. Pre-season is also a time for athletes to become better players by improving their skills and learning new plays. Therefore, athletes who become injured at this time may be upset because they will miss the initial stages of skill training. Athletes who are in their final year of eligibility may respond more negatively to an injury in pre-season because this is their final opportunity to play at a competitive level of basketball and depending on their injury status, they may not be able to be a part of the team if the injury is career-ending. A career-ending injury in pre-season puts the athlete out of sport for the longest possible amount of time and due to the fact that the season has yet to get underway, the knowledge of what they could have contributed to the team is lost. Some athletes reported that they would be less frustrated about an injury in pre-season because the team has not started playing games. Athletes who are experienced players who become injured in pre-season may not be as concerned about the injury because they know the plays and have the skill and talent to jump right back into the game when their injury has healed. These players are confident that they will make the team and will be able to perform as well as the other players when they return because they have the ability to rebound rebound (rē´bownd), n/v 1. a recovery from illness. n 2. an outbreak of fresh reflex activity after withdrawal of a stimulus rebound adjective from their injury quickly. Athletes also consider the length of the season in their appraisal of the injury situation. The perception of how long each season is varies. For instance, athletes who feel that preseason injury would force them to stay off the court for the duration of the season are concerned that they would not be physically ready to return for the mid-season because they have not had the opportunity to train during the pre-season. Other athletes believe that depending on the status of the injury, pre-season is a good time to get injured because it is long and they will have time to recover before the start of the competitive season and may not miss much of the pre-season itself. Athletes who felt pre-season was long enough to allow them to return to sport said that the injury wouldn't affect them as much. When athletes encounter an injury at any time of the year, the amount of time remaining in the year is considered in their appraisal of the injury situation. An injury in pre-season that is not season-ending, is usually viewed more positively because the athlete is looking forward to contributing during the remaining three seasons. For this reason, an injury in pre-season may motivate recovery because the athlete is looking forward to the rest of the year ahead and has enough time to meet predetermined pre·de·ter·mine v. pre·de·ter·mined, pre·de·ter·min·ing, pre·de·ter·mines v.tr. 1. To determine, decide, or establish in advance: goals. Mid-season Mid-season also allows non-starters to show the coach that they deserve more playing time and/or a starting position. Non-starters who are injured may feel "hurt", "bad", "discouraged", "really frustrated", "upset", and "distraught dis·traught adj. 1. Deeply agitated, as from emotional conflict. 2. Mad; insane. [Middle English, alteration of distract, past participle of distracten, " because they will not get the opportunity to show their abilities. Starters, on the other hand, may feel a little more confident that they will still have their position after the injury is healed. In this situation, the starter would feel less concerned about the injury. This lack of concern, of course, depends on the appraisal of the injury situation. Starters may feel just as negative about their injury in mid-season because roles are still not defined at this time and if their replacements are equally capable of playing the starting position, they may lose their spot on the bench. Starters who become injured in mid-season also risk losing their leadership position because they cannot be on the court to help the team. The bond between players on and off the court becomes even stronger in mid-season. Injured athletes are prevented from becoming comfortable playing with their teammates in game situations and noted that the inability to experience team cohesion would be "discouraging", "frustrating", "really upsetting", "devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. ", "annoying", and "emotionally difficult". In explaining how she would feel if injured in mid-season one varsity athletes said: I always think that I feel that I miss out when I'm injured because you're on the sideline and people are getting experience playing together at this point and that's what the point of mid-season is, to get used to playing with one another. So you'd be missing out on valuable experience to get to know your other teammates on the court. Athletes injured during mid-season may be frustrated and disappointed because they are not only losing the physical conditioning from pre-season, but also missing the opportunity to become stronger players. However, some players look at the situation more positively because they know that they can still come back and contribute to the team. Still, an injury in mid-season may mean that the player will have to miss more games than at any other time. This is frustrating for athletes in their final year. Athletes used words like "upsetting", "disappointing", "horrible", and "down" to describe how they would feel if they were unable to participate. In mid-season, intercollegiate teams begin to travel to play games. Due to cost, players who are injured may not be able to join their teammates. This is disappointing and upsetting to these athletes because traveling at this time is centered upon bonding as a team and having fun. As the varsity teams begin to play games in the mid-season, a record is established which will ultimately help determine the team's ranking in post-season play. Therefore, injured athletes who normally contribute a lot to the team may feel negatively about the injury because the team may begin to perform badly and it's record may be affected. In this situation, injured athletes believed that they would experience feelings such as "frustration", "worry", "disappointment", and "stress". However, the team's record may not be an issue for some athletes. An athlete on the varsity team In the United States and Canada and UK, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, or high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of explained that his team doesn't play Canadian teams during exhibition play and therefore does not establish a record in this time period. For this reason, that player wouldn't experience the same negative emotions as another who is worried about the team's ranking. The exhibition games in mid-season give the team an opportunity to see it's strengths and weaknesses, test out strategies, and learn what match-ups are most effective. Injured players won't get the chance to play in a game situation and learn what will or will not help the team later in the season. Respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy. said that it would be a big let down and they would feel horrible if they were unable to master tactics that will prepare them for the upcoming seasons. Similar to pre-season, many athletes thought that mid-season was relatively long. These athletes were more positive about the injury situation because they felt that they could recover and come back before the start of the next season. One reason varsity athletes believe that they have a great deal of time to recover before the next season is the break period between mid and end-season. Of course, the length of time the athlete is required to stay off the court is contingent upon Adj. 1. contingent upon - determined by conditions or circumstances that follow; "arms sales contingent on the approval of congress" contingent on, dependant on, dependant upon, dependent on, dependent upon, depending on, contingent the athlete's injury status. Athletes who perceive that they will not have enough time in the mid-season to recover will respond more negatively because the team plays the majority of their games at this time of the year. These negative feelings may also surface if the athlete perceives that mid-season is relatively short because a sense of urgency to return before end-season will be felt. In mid-season, athletes may feel more negatively about their injury than in pre-season because the team is playing games. Still, the intensity of these feelings is less than those felt in the later seasons because those games are more important. Again, with time remaining in the year the athlete may be motivated to recover quickly. End-season The end of season, perceived as a fairly short, is also an important time because it gives players an opportunity to perform well and move into post-season play. An injured athlete may jeopardize jeop·ard·ize tr.v. jeop·ard·ized, jeop·ard·iz·ing, jeop·ard·izes To expose to loss or injury; imperil. See Synonyms at endanger. the team's ability to succeed at this critical time. When the injured athlete is not prepared for the season to end, it is particularly emotionally difficult. If it is the injured athlete's final year of playing, the injury then becomes potentially career-ending. The severity of injury is an important variable to consider when an athlete is injured at this time. If it is severe, there is very little time remaining and the athlete will not be able to return even if the team made it to post-season. The athlete's motivation to recover may be adversely affected because there is nothing but the next season to rehabilitate re·ha·bil·i·tate v. 1. To restore to good health or useful life, as through therapy and education. 2. To restore to good condition, operation, or capacity. for and that season is a long way off. Whereas, if the injury is not severe and the athlete believes that there is a possibility of playing again, that athlete may be highly motivated to recover quickly. The downside Downside The dollar amount by which the market or a stock has the potential to fall. Notes: You might hear someone say that the downside on stock XYZ is $10. What that means is that the stock could fall by this amount if things got bad. of rushing rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. is that the athlete may return to competition and practise before being both physically and psychologically ready. The severity of injury is an important variable to consider when an athlete is injured at this time. If it is severe, there is very little time remaining and the athlete will not be able to return even if the team made it to post-season. The athlete's motivation to recover may be adversely affected because there is nothing but the next season to rehabilitate for and that season is a long way off. Whereas, if the injury is not severe and the athlete believes that there is a possibility of playing again, that athlete may be highly motivated to recover quickly. The downside of rushing rehabilitation is that the athlete may return to competition and practise before being both physically and psychologically ready. When the onset of injury occurs at the end of season and when it is the athlete's final year of playing, the emotional ramifications ramifications npl → Auswirkungen pl may be particularly difficult to handle. As one female varsity player said: I was injured at the end of the end-season ... and that was really hard because it was was my last year so I missed my last game. So, I wasn't mentally prepared for my basketball career to end which was really difficult emotionally. Post-Season A great deal of anticipation surrounds post-season games because these are the games that the whole team has been working to play in all year. The playoffs are the most intense time of year because the team must win it's games to avoid being knocked out of the quest for Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby" quest after, go after, pursue look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the the championship title. For this reason, many athletes want to be able to contribute to the team's success and if they are injured in the post-season they may not have the chance to help out the team. Many participants said that they would feel "let down", "disappointed", "devastated", "stressed", and "useless" if they were injured and were prevented from playing at such an important time. Injured athletes who are influential players may feel like they let the team down because if they don't play, the team's ability to succeed may be affected. As a result, some injured athletes may try to play through the injury if they can. For them, the post-season is too important to miss. Two players indicated how difficult it would be for him to get injured at this time in the following quotations: ... we've worked for a whole season getting into the playoffs and if you're in the playoffs then you've obviously worked really hard and getting injured in the post- season kind of makes you think it might go down the drain if you don't make it to the title. So it's really, really bad because everything you've worked for in the season is in jeopardy. That'd be really tough because when you're in the post-season, that's basically do or die part of your season and there's no recovering, there's no time. So I think that'd be really, really hard especially if you are a key contributor to the team. You'd feel all those feelings of letting people down and personal emotions. I think that would be the worst probably the worst time to be injured ... Similarly, an injury in post-season will be a career-ending injury if it is the last year the athlete is able to play basketball because if the team loses one game they are no longer eligible to participate in the playoffs. It is essential that veteran athletes in their last year of eligibility are able to participate because it is their final opportunity to win a championship. Consequently, injured veterans may be disappointed and upset because the injury becomes career-ending and they may feel like they let down the team because of not being able to play. Although there are a number of different reasons why athletes view each time of the season as an important time of the year to be playing basketball, some players may not respond as negatively to the injury experience if they perceive the season as less important. In end and post-season, the games are always important as winning becomes paramount, however, in pre-season athletes may not be concerned about an injury due to their experience and the fact that games have yet to start. In the same respect, mid-season may be seen as less important by participants because the games are perceived as being relatively unimportant un·im·por·tant adj. Not important; petty. un  im·portance n. .
Athletes have even less time to recuperate re·cu·per·ate v. To return to health or strength; recover. in post-season. The length of the season depends on the team's success. It can be over in one game if the team loses or it can extend one or two weeks if the team is successful and advances to the final championship game. Athletes used words like "devastated", "worse", "very angry", "upset", "really tough", "really hard", "let down", and "left out" to describe how they would feel if they didn't have enough time to get back into the game. The only hope the athlete may have to return is if the injury is really not that severe and the team wins long enough for the athlete to get back onto the court. Otherwise, the season is over and there is no more time remaining in the year for the athlete to look forward to. In post-season, the amount of time remaining in the year may affect recovery in one of two ways depending on the appraisal made by the athlete. If the athlete perceives that the season is finished, that person may not try to recover quickly to get back into the game because there is so much time in the off-season to rehabilitate. In this case, the athlete may not be motivated to recover at all and consequently, it may take the athlete a long time to fully recover from the injury. However, the athlete may also view the situation as an opportunity to work hard in recovery and actually recover better because of having so much time in the off-season for that purpose. Discussion The athlete's psychological reaction to his/her injury is a function of how it is appraised. For example, one athlete may view pre-season injury as the best time in the season to get injured (if there is a best time) because he/she has the most amount of time to recover. Another athlete may be despondent de·spon·dent adj. Feeling or expressing despondency; dejected. de·spon dent·ly adv. about the same situation
because his/she sees it as a time to solidify so·lid·i·fy v. so·lid·i·fied, so·lid·i·fy·ing, so·lid·i·fies v.tr. 1. To make solid, compact, or hard. 2. To make strong or united. v.intr. his/her place on the team, build team cohesion and work on skills, strength and conditioning. Similarly, the attitudes of starters versus non-starters may differ at pre, mid and end of season due to their respective confidence levels in regaining their position once recovered. Those injured in mid-season often comment on missing the social aspects and travel opportunities that come with being an active member of the team. If injury occurs at the end of season, the cognitive appraisal a player may give the situation will depend upon the team's play-off chances are good may try for a quick comeback contrary to those who take time to rehabilitate because they feel the team has little chance in extending their play-off run. Those injured in their final year of eligibility will likely react differently depending upon when they were initially injured. Those injured in pre-season are reasonably optimistic about coming back later in the season while those injured in mid-season often report feelings of frustration at not being able to play and help the team improve it's record. This of course depends on the severity of the injury. Injuries which occur at the end and post-season are in a race against the clock, For those who experience career-ending injuries, the clock has stopped and for them there is no reprisal reprisal, in international law, the forcible taking, in time of peace, by one country of the property or territory belonging to another country or to the citizens of the other country, to be held as a pledge or as redress in order to satisfy a claim. . Through hypothetical scenarios presented to participants, the researchers were able to begin to understand the role importance of the season plays when the athlete gets injured at four different times during the sport season. Although the study has limitations, the knowledge gained could help create new, effective interventions to help injured athletes successfully rehabilitate and return to sport. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance for mental trainers, coaches, physiotherapists and other potential support providers to gain an understanding of the meaning (appraisal) of the injury to the athlete so that effective support can be provided. The researchers recommend that further research attempts should be modified by: 1) interviewing athletes who are actually injured, 2) choosing participants involved in a diverse spectrum of sports, both individual and team and who play at a variety of levels, 3) interviewing participants when they are initially injured, and 4) tracking their thoughts and feelings throughout the rehabilitation period and when returning to practise and/or competition. Table 1 Interview Questions First, I'd like to know how you feel the timing of an injury affects your emotional reaction to it. Here are some times in the season that you might become injured. (Show cards with pre-season, mid-season, end-season and post-season printed on them.) 1. Do you think that you would react differently at any of these times? For example, would you feel differently about your injury if you were hurt in the pre-season versus the post-season (mid-season versus end-season)? If so, in what way(s)? Now I want you to imagine an injury that would prevent you from participating in basketball for a period of one month. 2. Describe the type of injury that you have imagined. 3. Why did you choose this injury? 4. Have you or a teammate ever experienced this injury? If yes, did you or did your teammates experience the injury? Please describe what happened. The first set of questions pertain to how you would feel if the injury that you have imagined happened to you in the pre-season; that is, in the training period before your season begins. 5. How do you think you would emotionally react if you got injured in the pre-season? 5b. What are some words that would accurately describe how you would feel? 6. If you were injured in the pre-season, would the severity of your injury affect your emotional reaction? If so, in what way(s)? How would you react if you incurred an injury in the pre-season that was severe (not severe)? 7. Do you think that your previous experience (inexperience) with injury might affect how you'd emotionally react to the injury in the pre-season? If yes, in what way(s)? 8. Would your position on the team affect how you might emotionally react to being injured in the pre-season? That is, would a starter react differently that a non-starter? If so, in what way(s)? 9. Would the success of the team the year before affect your feelings about your injury in the pre-season? If so, in what way(s)? Probe: if the team was performing well (poorly) how would you feel if you were injured in the pre-season? 10. How do you think that your coach/captain, (teammates, friends, family) would react if you were injured in the pre-season? Would this influence your own feelings about the injury? 11. If were injured in the pre-season, would the importance of the sport season affect your feelings about the injury? 12. If you were out of action for one month in the pre-season, do you think that the injury might affect your goals? If so, in what way(s)? How would that make you feel? Probe: Do you think that your personal (team) goals might be affected? (The same set of questions were repeated for mid-season, end-season and post-season.) 13. Is there anything else pertaining to the timing of your injury in the sport season that may affect your emotional reaction to it? 14. During the four different times are there any other factors that may cause you to react positively to your injury? 15. During the four different times are there any other factors that may cause you to react negatively to your injury? References 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. Brewer, B. W. (1994). Review and critique of models of psychological adjustment to athletic injury. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 6, 87-100. Brewer, B. W. (2001). Emotional adjustment to sport injury. In J. Crossman (Ed.), Coping with sports injuries Sports Injuries Definition Sports injuries result from acute trauma or repetitive stress associated with athletic activities. Sports injuries can affect bones or soft tissue (ligaments, muscles, tendons). : Psychological strategies for rehabilitation. New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , NY: Oxford University Press. Brewer, B. W., Linder, D. E., & Phelps, C. M. (1995). Situational correlates of emotional adjustment to athletic injury. Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine sports medicine, branch of medicine concerned with physical fitness and with the treatment and prevention of injuries and other disorders related to sports. Knee, leg, back, and shoulder injuries; stiffness and pain in joints; tendinitis; "tennis elbow"; and , 5, 241-245. Chan, C. S., & Grossman, H. Y. (1988). Psychological effects of running loss on consistent runners. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 66, 875-883. Crossman, J. (1997). Psychological rehabilitation from sports injuries. Sports Medicine, 23, 333-339. Crossman, J., Gluck, L., & Jamieson, J. (1995). The emotional response of injured athletes. New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. Journal of Sports Medicine, 23, 1-2. Evans, L., & Hardy, L. (1995). Sport injury and grief responses: A review. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 17, 227-245. Flint, F. A. (1998). Integrating sport psychology and sports medicine in research: The dilemmas. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 10, 83-102. Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago, IL: Aldine. Gould, D., Udry, E., Bridges, D., & Beck, L. (1997). Stress sources encountered when rehabilitating from season-ending ski injuries. The Sport Psychologist, 11, 361-378. Heil, J. (1993). A framework for psychological assessment. In J. Heil (Ed.), Psychology of sport injury. Champaign Champaign (shămpān`), city (1990 pop. 63,502), Champaign co., E central Ill.; inc. 1860. It adjoins the city of Urbana and is a commercial and industrial center in a fertile farm area. The Univ. , IL: Human Kinetics kinetics: see dynamics. Kinetics (classical mechanics) That part of classical mechanics which deals with the relation between the motions of material bodies and the forces acting upon them. Publishers. Johnston, L. H. & Carroll, D. (1998). The context of emotional responses to athletic injury: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 7, 206-220. Kerr, G. A., & Miller, P. S. (2001). Coping strategies The German Freudian psychoanalyst Karen Horney defined four so-called coping strategies to define interpersonal relations, one describing psychologically healthy individuals, the others describing neurotic states. . In J. Crossman (Ed.), Coping with sports injuries: Psychological strategies for rehabilitation. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic nat·u·ral·is·tic adj. 1. Imitating or producing the effect or appearance of nature. 2. Of or in accordance with the doctrines of naturalism. inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Pearson, L., & Jones, G. (1992). Emotional effects of sport injuries: Implications for physiotherapists. Physiotherapy physiotherapy: see physical therapy. , 78, 762-770. Quackenbush, N., & Crossman, J. (1994). Injured athletes: A study of emotional responses. Journal of Sport Behavior, 17, 178-187. Richards, L. & Richards, T. (1992). The transformation of qualitative method: Computational Having to do with calculations. Something that is "highly computational" requires a large number of calculations. paradigms and research processes. In N. G Fielding & R. M. Lee (Eds.), Using computers in qualitative research. (2nd ed.). Newbury, CA: Sage. Richards, T. & Richards, L. (1991). The NUDIST qualitative data analysis system. Qualitative Sociology Qualitative Sociology is an academic journal dealing with sociology. It publishes research papers on the qualitative interpretation of social life. This includes photographic studies, historical analysis, comparative analysis, and ethnography. , 14, 307-324. Smith, A. M., Scott, S. G., O'Fallon, W. M., & Young, M. L. (1990). Emotional responses of athletes to injury. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 65, 38-50. Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Udry, E., Gould, D., Bridges, D., & Beck, L. (1997). Down but not out: Athlete responses to season-ending injuries. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 19, 229-248. Weiss, M. R. & Troxel, R. K. (1986). Psychology of the injured athlete. Athletic Training athletic training Sports medicine The practice of physical conditioning and reconditioning of athletes and prevention of injuries incurred by athletes. See Athlete, Athletic trainer. , 21, 104-109, 154. Wiese-Bjornstal, D. M., Smith, A.M., Shaffer, S. M., & Morrey, M. A. (1998). An integrated model of response to sport injury: Psychological and sociological dynamics. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 10, 46-69. Address Correspondence To: Dr. Jane Crossman, School of Kinesiology kinesiology Study of the mechanics and anatomy of human movement and their roles in promoting health and reducing disease. Kinesiology has direct applications to fitness and health, including developing exercise programs for people with and without disabilities, preserving , Lakehead University Lakehead University, at Thunder Bay, Ont., Canada; founded 1946 as Lakehead Technical Institute. It achieved university status in 1965. Lakehead has faculties of arts and science, business, education, engineering, forestry, library and information studies, nursing, , 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay Thunder Bay, city (1991 pop. 113,946), SW Ont., Canada, on Thunder Bay inlet of Lake Superior. The city was created in 1970 by the amalgamation of the twin cities of Fort William and Port Arthur and two adjoining townships. , ON P7B 5El. Ph: (807)343-8642 Fax: (807) 343-8944, Email: Jane.Crossman@lakeheadu.ca Amy M. Gayman and Jane Crossman Lakehead University |
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