Background: Why Sports Psychology?
Transcript: Jennifer Tymkew, Northwestern University Athletic Trainer 1) Psychological factors that can make one more susceptible to injury 2) Psychological/emotional factors resulting from an injury 3) Psychological factors that can be implemented during the rehabilitation period to help recovery along References: Case Study: The Psychological Effects of Injuries Brewer, Britton W. , et al. "Psychological factors, rehabilitation adherence, and rehabilitation outcome after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Rehabilitation Psychology, 45(1), 20. Personality/Situational Factors Stage models of grief: Denial, anger, frustration, confusion, bargaining, depression, acceptance Cognitive Appraisal: "Is this harmful to me?" "Will I be able to deal with this and if so, how?" Important Takeaways: Brewer et al., 2000 Cox, Richard H. Sports psychology:concepts and applications. No. Ed. 4 McGraw Hill, 1998 Three stages of rehab: Injury & illness, rehab &recovery, return to full activity Each stage requires a different psychological approach Coping Skills: Emotion-focused coping, problem-focused coping Cognitive Appraisal Imagery, Relaxation, Meditation Perception of loss: mobility, time, career Leddy et al. (1994) reported that in comparison to non-athletes, athletes report significantly lower total and physical self-esteem Threat to athletic identity Opportunity to change life/display courage Disaster Relief Overview More responses: Freshman Northwestern athlete on the women's basketball team 2 ACL injuries: May 2012, March 2014 Surgeries: Patellar Tendon Autograft, Patellar Tendon Tellograft First 3 months of rehab pre-Northwestern with PT Strength Exercises Dynamic Exercises Positive attitude Social support Good cognitive appraisal Completed rehab and returned back to games No red flags, smooth and adaptable The way one encounters an injury, responds to it, and recovers from it is as much psychological as it is physical Being aware of an athletes predispositions, moods, self-efficacy, self esteem, etc comes with building rapport through trust and confidentiality As ATAs, we have the unique opportunity to develop professional relationships with athletes. Ask questions about injuries that are within your bounds! Lazarus and Folkman's Model of Emotional Adjusment Green, Scott L. and Robert S. Weinberg. "Relationships among athletic identity, coping skills, social support, and the psychological impact of injury in recreational participants." Journal of Applied Sport Psychology 13.1 (2001): 40-59 In a 1996 study 47% of athletic trainers believed that every athlete suffers negative psychological effects Psychological factors are as important as physical ones Psychological exercises can play a critical role in recovery Background: Why Sports Psychology? Interventions During Rehabilitation Harry David Smith, Northwestern University Professor Competitive Trait Anxiety - tendency to perceive competitive situations as threatening/respond with apprehension and tension (Petrie, 1993) High stress athletes more likely to be injured for longer time compared to low-stress athletes (Holmes, 1970) Stress-Injury relationship: attentional disruption and increased muscle tension Worry about injuring a second time Conducted a study using 95 athletes with ACL tears before reconstructive surgery to assess the relationship between psychological factors, rehab adherence, and short-term rehab outcome post surgery