Evaluating the dynamic model of psychological response to sport injury and rehabilitation

Authors of the integrated model of psychological response to the sport injury and rehabilitation process (Wiese-Bjornstal, Smith, Shaffer, & Morrey, 1998) conceptualized sport injury as influenced by preinjury psychosocial factors (Williams & Andersen, 1998), acting as a negative life event stressor, and comprising a dynamic process of ongoing cognitive appraisals influencing emotional and behavioral responses affecting recovery outcomes (Wiese-Bjornstal, 2009; 2010; Wiese-Bjornstal, Smith, & LaMott, 1995). The purpose of this project was to simultaneously examine these three primary model components and associated predictions while controlling for within team and school-related factors through repeated measures sampling of injured and noninjured teammates. Within a prospective mixed factorial study design, NCAA Division I male and female athletes (N = 74) from four sports (women's softball, track and field, and tennis, and men's baseball) completed multiple psychosocial measures at repeated time points from baseline to postseason. Results supported (a) the ability of psychosocial variables to predict sport injury, (b) conceptualizing sport injury as a stressor, and, (c) the role of affect as a precursor and response to sport injury. A unique aspect to this study was reflected in the matching of psychological data from injured and noninjured teammates during the specific weeks in which injuries occurred, thus controlling for non-injury related factors such as team and school related variables that may have influenced the mood state and life event stress of all athletes on the teams aside from injury. Furthermore, this study lends support to the idea that negative mood states are not only responses to but also risk factors for sport injury, and thus provides grounding for identifying psychological interventions to ameliorate negative moods.