ORIGINAL ARTICLE  SPORT INJURIES AND REHABILITATION 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2020 March;60(3):428-34

DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.19.10124-7

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Examining re-injury worry, confidence and attention after a sport musculoskeletal injury

George GKIKOPOULOS ¹, Chrysa CHRONOPOULOU ¹, Anna CHRISTAKOU ^{1, 2} ✉

¹ Department Physiotherapy, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece; ² General Hospital of Athens “Evaggelismos”, Athens, Greece

BACKGROUND: Sport injury is an unfortunate event which can have a major impact on the injured athletes’ psychology. Athletes may experience re-injury worry and low levels of attention and confidence getting back to competition following a sport injury. The aim of the study was to examine re-injury worry, confidence and attention of previously injured athletes, before they returned to competition.
METHODS: Cross-sectional research design. A total of 52 athletes volunteered for this study, aged 23.1±4.8 years old with a previous musculoskeletal injury during the last year. Participants completed the Causes of Re-Injury Worry Questionnaire, the Sport Confidence Questionnaire of Rehabilitated Athletes Returning to Competition and the Attention Questionnaire of Rehabilitated Athletes Returning to Competition, on their first competitive game after rehabilitation program.
RESULTS: The athletes experienced average levels of re-injury worry and distraction attention and high levels of confidence and functional attention. The duration of injury, the medical and physiotherapy treatment and the absence from sport were significantly correlated with the questionnaire factors “Re-injury worry due to opponent’s ability”, “Functional attention” and “Distraction attention”.
CONCLUSIONS: Psychological characteristics of previously injured athletes may be influenced from the duration of: 1) medical treatment; 2) injury; 3) physiotherapy treatment; and 4) absence from sport, when they return to competition. More research needs to be conducted to confirm the present results.

KEY WORDS: Self concept; Sports; Injuries; Attention