Browsing by Author "Davis, Nikita"
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- ItemExploring the return-to-competition experiences of injured team sport athletes(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-04) Davis, Nikita; Grobbelaar, Heinrich; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Sport Science.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Participation in sport has an inherent risk of injury that athletes willingly accept. For most athletes, sustaining injuries are a negative experience, but they tend to respond differently to it and throughout the ensuing rehabilitation period. For competitive team sport athletes or players, a speedy and successful return-to-competition (RTC) after injury is critical. Some players may not be psychologically ready to RTC following injury, despite completing their physical rehabilitation programmes and receiving clearance from their medical teams to do so. The study aimed to explore and analyse the lived experiences of injured team sport athletes before they return-to-competition and after. Seven elite participants (5 men, 2 women; 5 national team players, 2 provincial team players, 6 rugby players, 1 field hockey player, Mean age: 24.57 years) were interviewed and completed three quantitative questionnaires (respectively measuring fear avoidance, psychological responses and psychological readiness) in the lead-up to and shortly after their first competitive match/tournament. Qualitative information on personal and situational factors that influenced each participants’ cognitive appraisal, emotional and behavioural responses were elicited, in line with Wiese-Bjornstal et al.’s (1998) Integrated Model of Psychological Response to the Sport and Injury Rehabilitation Process. Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted, two interviews per participant. Firstly, after their first on-field training session, and secondly, after the first competition/game. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using descriptive phenomenology, applying both inductive and deductive reasoning. This method allowed for a rich description of each participants’ unique experiences. Four themes (and multiple sub-themes) emerged when collating the findings from the seven individual cases. 1) Established identity (athletic and personal); 2) Cognitive appraisal (positive and negative appraisals, perceived benefits, sense of loss, overcoming adversity); 3) Emotional responses (positive and negative responses, fear of the unknown, fear of re-injury, concerns about previous performance levels and external perceptions); and 4) Behavioural responses (rehabilitation adherence, avoiding maladaptive behaviours, using social support and self-talk). In-vivo quotes provided a rich narrative and description of selective findings for each participant. The quantitative data revealed moderately high fear avoidance levels among all the participants pre- and post-RTC. Three participants had moderate psychological readiness and confidence levels before their RTC, suggesting that they may not have been psychologically ready to return yet. Two participants who completed their rehabilitation during the COVID-19 national lock-down and only returned when sport resumed approximately six months later, revealed more favourable rehabilitation experiences and greater psychological readiness to RTC, in part because they did not experience the normal pressure to return quickly. These findings raise questions about the extent to which medical teams consider psychosocial factors when making decisions about the resumption of training and readiness for competitions. The study paves the way for future research that may extend Wiese-Bjornstal et al.’s (1998) and other injury-related return-to-sport decision-making models, by incorporating specific concerns associated with the RTC phenomenon. Medical teams should consider psychosocial information pertaining to psychological readiness to RTC, re-injury anxiety and concerns about pre-injury performance levels. Coaches and management teams should ensure the social reintegration of players into the team environment especially after lengthy injury lay-offs.