Returning to sport following a serious injury can be a difficult process for competitive athletes ( Bianco, 2001 Bianco, T. 2001. Social support and recovery from sport injury: Elite skiers share their experiences. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport., 72: 376–388. [PUBMED] [INFOTRIEVE] [CSA] [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar] ; Bianco, Malo, & Orlick, 1999 Bianco, T. , Malo, S. and Orlick, T. 1999. Sport injury and illness: Elite skiers describe their experiences. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport., 70: 157–169. [PUBMED] [INFOTRIEVE] [CSA] [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar] ; Gould, Udry, Bridges, & Beck, 1997 Gould, D. , Udry, E. , Bridges, D. and Beck, L. 1997. Stress sources encountered when rehabilitating from season-ending ski injuries. The Sport Psychologist., 11: 361–378. [CSA] [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar] ). Unfortunately, no qualitative longitudinal studies were found that examine athlete return-to-sport experiences following injury recovery. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of competitive athletes' returning to sport following a serious injury over a period of up to 8-months. Salient themes relating to motives to return to sport, return-to-sport appraisals and emotions and decision-making processes were identified in participant interviews. Athletes also described their experiences in overcoming return-to-sport fears and concerns, and how they dealt with adversity. Finally, the enjoyable aspects of the return to competition and the positive consequences of injury were articulated. Findings from this research indicate that self-determination theory ( Ryan & Deci, 2000 Ryan, R. M. and Deci, E. L. 2000. Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist., 55: 68–78. [PUBMED] [INFOTRIEVE] [CSA] [CROSSREF] [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar] ) may offer a valuable framework for coaches and practitioners hoping to better understand and assist athletes with the return-to-sport process.

Context: Athletes participating in sport are exposed to a high injury risk. Previous research has found a great number of risk factors (both physiological and psychological) that could increase injury risk.¹ One limitation in previous studies is that few have considered the complex interaction between psychological factors in their research design.Objective: To study whether personality, stress, and coping predicted injury occurrence in an elite soccer population based on a hypothesized model.Design: Prospective.Participants: 56 (n = 38 male, n = 18 female) Swedish Premiere League soccer players were selected based on convenience sampling.Intervention: Participants completed 4 questionnaires including the Swedish Universities Scales of Personality,² Life Events Survey for Collegiate Athletes,³ and Brief COPE⁴ during the initial questionnaire administration. Subsequent to the first meeting, participants also completed the Hassle and Uplift Scale⁵ once per wk for a 13-wk period throughout the competitive season.Main Outcome Measures: A path analysis was conducted examining the influence of personality traits (ie, trait anxiety), state-level stressors (ie, negative-life-event stress and daily hassles), and coping on injury frequency.Results: Results of the path analysis indicated that trait anxiety, negative-life-event stress, and daily hassle were significant predictors of injury among professional soccer players, accounting for 24% of the variance.Conclusion: The findings highlight the need for athletes, coaches, and medical practitioners to attempt to reduce state-level stressors, especially daily hassles, in minimizing injury risk. Educating and training athletes and coaches in proactive stress-management techniques appears warranted.

The purpose of this study was to examine athlete experiences and understandings of psychological readiness to return to sport following a serious injury. A focus group and follow-up semistructured interviews were conducted with seven English athletes representing a variety of sports. Three key attributes of readiness were identified including: (a) confidence in returning to sport; (b) realistic expectations of one’s sporting capabilities; and (c) motivation to regain previous performance standards. Numerous precursors such as trust in rehabilitation providers, accepting postinjury limitations, and feeling wanted by significant others were articulated. Results indicate that psychological readiness is a dynamic, psychosocial process comprised of three dimensions that increase athletes’ perceived likelihood of a successful return to sport following injury. Findings are discussed in relation to previous research and practical implications are offered.