|
|
|
|
JOURNAL
OF
SPORTS SCIENCE &
MEDICINE
|
 |
|
Research
article
|
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS AS PREDICTORS OF INJURIES AMONG SENIOR SOCCER PLAYERS. A PROSPECTIVE STUDY |
|||||||||
Andreas Ivarsson 
and Urban Johnson |
|||||||||
Centre for Research on Welfare, Health and Sport Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2010) 9, 347 - 352 |
|||||||||
|
|
| ABSTRACT | |||
| It is reported that between 65-91% of elite soccer players in
Sweden have at least one injury per year. Several studies define different
physiological and psychological factors affecting athletic injury-risk.
A number of models contain proposals that specify relationships between
psychological factors and an increased athletic injury-risk. Examples include
Williams and Andersen's stress-injury model and Johnson and Ivarsson's empirical
model of injury risk factors which proposes that factors such as trait anxiety
and ineffective coping skills are influential. The purpose of this study
was to examine the relationship between (a) personality factors, b) coping
variables, and (c) stress and injury risk. Participants were 48 male soccer
players from 3 Swedish teams ranging in age from 16 to 36 years (M = 22
years). Participants completed 5 questionnaires: Football Worry Scale, Swedish
universities Scales of Personality, Life Events Survey for Collegiate Athletes,
Daily Hassle Scale and Brief COPE. Information on injuries was collected
by athletic trainers of the teams over 3-months. Results suggest injury
was significantly predicted by 4 personality trait predictors: somatic trait
anxiety, psychic trait anxiety, stress susceptibility, and trait irritability.
Collectively, the predictors self-blame and acceptance could explain 14.6%
of injury occurrence. More injuries were reported among players who score
high in daily hassles. These results support previous findings. Recommendations
are given for both the athletes and the trainers on working to prevent sport
injuries.
Key words: Coping strategies, daily hassles, personality, psychological predictors, sport injury. |
|