Mycah Berson

Pd 6
IM 1
English 12 AP

The Psychological Effects of a Sports Injury on an Athletes

Recovery
Introduction
Adrian Peterson firmly plants his leg on the ground just as a tackle from
Washington Redskins safety, DeJon Gomes, forces his knee primarily inward
and also slightly forward. Petersons knee and ACL (anterior cruciate
ligament) absorbed all of the force of the tackle, completely tearing his ACL.
This type of injury usually takes seven to nine months of intense physical
therapy to return to normal activity. However, just nine months later,
Peterson returned to the Minnesota Vikings to take his spot back on his team.
Soon afterwards, Peterson was nominated as the 2012 MVP. Petersons
hardworking mindset to return to football allowed him to make a
miraculously quick recovery to his sport. (Siebert) Not all injured athletes
have Petersons quick recovery. After badly breaking her leg and blowing out
her right knee in a ski injury, Picabo Street, who competed in the 1998
Olympics, went hurtling into depression. Many people believe she went into a
state of depression because she realized how long and difficult her journey to
recovery would be. In actuality, Streets depression caused her recovery to
take twenty months - much longer than it would have taken without her
struggle with depression. ''I think it was a combination of the atrophying of
my legs, the new scars, and feeling like a caged animal,' Ms. Street said. 'I
went from being a very physical person, a very powerful athlete, to barely
having any strength to get from my room to the kitchen. You're stuck and
you can't do what you normally do and it makes you crazy.'' (Tarkan)
Whether an injured athlete is at the professional level, like Peterson
and Street, or at the high school level, they may be faced with emotional
responses they are unequipped to deal with alone. This research explores the
various emotional responses to an injury and the factors that may affect
1

Mycah Berson
Pd 6
IM 1
English 12 AP

them. The resulting report is designed to raise awareness of the

psychological effects serious injuries can have on student athletes. Many
people do not realize the emotional difficulties athletes are faced with after
an injury. This paper will help to inform athletes, coaches, parents, and other
peers about an athletes reaction to an injury. Their emotional responses,
their support system, and the type of injury the athlete has suffered all play
into how quickly and efficiently they return to playing their sport.
Background Research
Research on the psychological impacts of a sports injury on athletes is
not a new topic of study. There are a number of key studies and other
research such as the I-PRRS scale, Maslows hierarchy of needs, the KublerRoss Theory, and a variety of motivational studies that help to explain the
impact serious injuries have on the psychology of an athlete.
Several experiments have been conducted to come up with a uniform
way to determine whether or not an athlete was physically and mentally
ready to return to his or her sport. Returning injured athletes to sport before
they are psychologically ready can lead to fear, anxiety, reinjury, injury to
different body parts, depression, and a decrease in performance. A study
was initiated to determine a scale to measure the psychological readiness of
injured athletes to return to sport participation and to provide preliminary
evidence of reliability and validity for the scale. The outcome of the study
resulted in a test, called the Injury-Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport
(I-PRRS) scale, which gave researchers a way to measure whether or not an
athlete was mentally ready to return to a sport. (Glazer), The I-PRRS Scale, a
quick and easy system, measures various components from 0 to 100 at
intervals of 10. A score of 0 suggests that the athlete does not feel confident
to return to their sport, a score of 50 suggests moderate confidence, and a
score of 100 suggests that the athlete had utmost confidence. To calculate
2

Mycah Berson
Pd 6
IM 1
English 12 AP

an athletes total psychological readiness score, the scores from the 6 test
segments are added and divided by 10 resulting in the maximum possible
score being a 60. A score of 60
implies that an athlete has the utmost
confidence to return to his/her
sport; a score of 40 means the athlete has only moderate
confidence; and a score of 20 implies the athlete has low
overall confidence. (Glazer)
A large part of
Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Scale. Digital image. N.p., n.d.
Web.
10 Feb. 2016 is based around Maslows
psychology

hierarchy of needs. Maslows hierarchy of

needs is a theory first introduced by
Abraham Maslow that suggests there are five
interdependent levels of basic human
motivators (Shadi). The bottom or first level
includes biological and physiological needs

(DIAGRAM) Shadi, Nina. "Life Lesson: What Are Your Basic

such as food. That is followed by safety

Needs?" With an Open Heart. N.p., 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 5

needs and then love and belongingness needs. Following those is the need
for self-esteem and then finally the need for self-actualization. The idea
behind the theory is that after one need is fulfilled, the next emerges on its
own and demands satisfaction until the person reaches self-actualization.
The focus in this research will use the segment of the hierarchy that focuses
on a persons need to belong and feel loved. (Saul)
The Kubler-Ross Theory on the psychological stages of death tends to
be very similar to the emotional recovery process of an athlete following a
serious injury. The five psychological stages of death - denial, anger,
bargaining, depression, and then acceptance helps others to understand
3

Mycah Berson
Pd 6
IM 1
English 12 AP

the emotional state of a person who is very close to dying. (Jennings)

Although this study is backed up with research, not all people experience
each of the stages, causing some to doubt the theory.
An important factor in how well an athlete performs is how motivated
they are to play their sport. Multiple studies have been conducted to assess
various factors relating to the motivation of high school athletes. One recent
study surveyed athletes on 31 different high school sports teams to evaluate
their perceptions of motivational climate, motivational needs, motivational
regulations, and psychological outcomes. The conclusion drawn from the
study showed that factors of motivation such as motivational climate and
motivational regulations had an impact on the performance of high school
athletes. These types of motivational factors may also be beneficial in
effectively motivating athletes to recover from an injury efficiently. (GastonGayles)
Background research provided some additional insight into this study.
There have been many studies and experiments done on information relating
to the psychological responses athletes may have to a serious injury.
However, each new study adds to the knowledge collected on the
psychological responses to an injury.
Various Possible Emotional Responses
Injured athletes are expected to experience emotional responses to an
injury. However, while some responses are normal or typical, others can
become problematic. It is important to be able to recognize these responses
and the affect they might have on the athlete. Injured athletes may
experience different levels of motivation, higher stress levels, and
problematic responses such as depression.

Mycah Berson
Pd 6
IM 1
English 12 AP

While some athletes are desperate to get back to their sport and work
as hard as they can to recover, other athletes struggle with the effect the
injury has on their life and have a hard time motivating themselves to
recover. (Gaston-Gayles) Often, athletes faced with this conflict do not return
and may feel lost. The level of motivation is a huge factor in an athletes
recovery speed. Some athletes feel so compelled to return to their sport that
they will do anything while other athletes may just give up completely such
as Picabo Street, the Olympic Gold Medalist.
Following an injury, an athletes stress level tends to increase
tremendously. Studies performed show that in addition to their normal levels
of stress, athletes often stress over a fear of failure, social evaluation by
others, lack of readiness to perform, and loss of internal control over their
environment. For many people, the inability to participate in physical activity
causes them to internalize their stress. Without the ability to fully express it,
the stress stays there and may emerge as a variety of physical symptoms.
This increased stress level can lead to a downward spiral of the athletes
emotional health and possibly lead to other problematic responses. (Frank)
Serious injuries often cause an athlete to feel depressed or to
experience other types of problematic responses such as anxiety, disordered
eating, and substance or alcohol use. (Webster) An injury causes an athlete
to be faced with multiple external and internal losses. First of all, injured
athletes lose their identity as a team member and athlete. They may also
lose a feeling of invincibility, as well as their self-esteem. Along with these
losses, athletes may experience feelings of isolation and abandonment.
Many athletes dedicate their entire life to their sport so not being able to
participate in that sport may make them feel lost and confused. Not dealing
with these emotional obstacles may lead to depression or other various
problematic reactions.
5

Mycah Berson
Pd 6
IM 1
English 12 AP

There are a variety of different reactions athletes may experience after

suffering a serious injury. While some of them are beneficial to the success of
the athletes recovery, some may hinder the athletes progress. It is
important to be able to recognize different emotions athletes may be
experiencing after a serious injury in order to support the athlete through the
problematic emotional responses.
Support Systems
Support systems can have a tremendous impact on how efficiently an
athlete is able to recover from a sports injury. It is the responsibility of an
athletes support system to watch out for any problematic emotional
reactions the athlete is having to his or her injury. Generally, support
systems consist of the people who are the closest to the injured athlete. This
often includes their teammates and other peers, parents, coaches, and their
healthcare professionals.
Athletes, especially those who are a part of a team sport, tend to have
a very close relationship with their teammates because they rely on each
other for the team to be able to succeed. After an injury, athletes will often
turn to their team for motivation. The way an athletes team responds to his
or her injury can significantly increase or decrease the efficiency of the
athletes recovery. If an athletes teammates come together and support the
athlete in his or her recovery, they will become much more motivated to
recover. However, if an athlete feels isolated from his or her team, the
athlete may feel useless to the team causing the athlete to be more prone to
giving up. This feeling of uselessness is one of the factors that may also lead
to depression. If an athlete is a part of a team sport it can be a beneficial or
a harmful factor. A team can push you to recover and return to playing which
is great. Unfortunately, being on a team sport may cause the injured athlete
to feel isolated from the team if they dont motivate the athlete to get back
6

Mycah Berson
Pd 6
IM 1
English 12 AP

to the sport. This often occurs when an athlete has a head injury or other
invisible injuries. Individual sports are often even harder for an athlete to
return to because they do not have extra support from a team. The athlete
has to be able to motivate themselves to recover.
Coaches and parents play a very influential part in an athletes life.
They are often the adults an athlete relies on the most to advise them during
life-changing events and decisions. They are also the adults who the athlete
will expect to receive the most support from. However, the parents and
coaches also have the most responsibility in watching how the athlete
handles the injury and to ensure that any problematic emotional responses
are dealt with. Parents and coaches are usually going to be the ones with the
largest impact on the efficiency of an athletes recovery. They are going to be
the ones who are able to motivate the athlete to work hard to recover and
return to their sport. Parents and coaches have to be careful though because
they may accidently influence an athlete to return to the sport too early or
not return to the sport at all.
As healthcare professionals are helping you recover physically, they
also watch out for psychological health as well. (Arvinen-Barrow) It is
important for healthcare professionals to incorporate psychological as well as
physical strategies into their athletic injury rehabilitation programs. For
instance, it may be beneficial for them to provide the athlete with
psychological support services that can be used as needed. The healthcare
professional should be especially prepared to encourage psychological
services if he/she notices signs of unusual behavior or a weak emotional
state. The healthcare professional is also responsible for coordinating the
athletes graduated return to practice with the athlete, the coaches, and the
parents. It is essential that they promote an athletes psychological readiness
as well as their physical capabilities, before allowing the athlete to return to
7

Mycah Berson
Pd 6
IM 1
English 12 AP

playing their sport. Finally, it is important for the healthcare professional to

be able to educate athletes, parents, families, friends, and others about the
importance of a supportive social network in the athletes recovery process.
Support systems are an important motivational factor of an athletes
recovery and return to a sport. They are often the people that will influence
the athlete to work as hard as possible to return to their sport. Unfortunately,
the athletes support systems may also unknowingly cause the athlete to
experience more adverse psychological responses such as isolation. The
athletes support system is also responsible for helping the athlete overcome
any problematic emotional responses.
Various Other Factors that could Affect an Athletes Recovery
An athletes recovery speed from a serious injury is personalized to the
individual athlete. There are many other unrelated variables that may have
an impact on the athlete. Various other factors may affect an athletes
recovery to a sport such as the type of injury, the athletes gender, and
whether or not the injury is noticeable to others.
The type of injury can affect an athletes psychological health and
therefore contribute to the athletes speed of recovery in a variety of
different ways. Several studies support the idea that chronic injuries produce
greater emotional reactions than acute injuries. The more serious the injury,
the more likely it is for the athlete to experience greater levels of depression,
tension, fatigue, anger, and confusion. Although not being able to play their
sport is depressing enough, some injuries result in athletes not being able to
do normal daily activities such as walking, writing, and driving. Depending on
how long-term the athletes injury is, these limitations may severely frustrate
and depress the athlete. Re-injuries are often worse than the original injury
thereby causing more dramatic emotional responses. For a majority of
8

Mycah Berson
Pd 6
IM 1
English 12 AP

athletes, becoming injured tarnishes their reputation. Before an injury, many

students think they are invincible, and the injury opens their eyes to the
realization that they are not. There are often additional aspects that can be
added to an injury that can cause an athlete to be more embarrassed such
as the need for a wheelchair to get around. This sense of embarrassment can
cause the athlete to become very vulnerable to depression and isolation
from the normal people around him or her.
If an injury is noticeable, it often has less of a psychological affect on
the athlete than an injury that is not noticeable. When an injury can be seen,
casual observers are able to understand or at least acknowledge the effects
a noticeable injury can have on the athlete. This allows them to feel empathy
for the athlete. However, there are many types of injuries that are hidden
from others, but may still produce the same types of physical and emotional
pain. A specific example of one of
these hidden injuries is a
concussion, which is a type of
injury to ones brain. (Bloom)
Although the impact of a
concussion can be just as severe as a
"Concussion." American Physical Therapy
Association. N.p., 24 Mar. 2011. Web. 11 Feb.
2016.

visible injury, many athletes,

coaches, parents, and other

teammates tend to dismiss the seriousness of the injury because they

cannot physically see anything wrong with the athlete. This may cause any
observers to pressure the athlete into returning to his or her sport before
they are physically and psychologically ready. Often concussive injuries will
overlap with the normal psychological responses to an injury.
An athletes gender can have an impact on the efficiency of his or her
recovery. In a study of coping strategies among long-term injured
9

Mycah Berson
Pd 6
IM 1
English 12 AP

competitive athletes, injured female athletes tended to become more

anxious and tense and had a stronger inclination to use emotion-focused
coping strategies than male athletes. (Klenk) Female athletes also generally
avoid the impact of their injury more than male athletes.
Many other factors may affect an athletes psychological responses to
an injury. These other factors, including the type of injury, whether or not the
injury is noticeable, and the athletes gender, may have a much larger
impact on the type of responses than most people realize.
Conclusion
Studying the psychological affects athletes have to deal with is a
relatively new concept. Many factors can play into an athletes recovery
time and if they even recover at all. Their emotional state, their support
system, and the type of injury the athlete has suffered all play into how
quickly they return to their sport. From the results of my research, people
close to the athlete should be able to recognize the possible emotional
reactions an athlete is experiencing in response to an injury. Furthermore,
some of these people should be equipped to motivate the athlete to return to
his or her sport or employ other strategies to help the athlete cope with his
or her injury.

10

Mycah Berson
Pd 6
IM 1
English 12 AP

Works Cited
Arvinen-Barrow, Monna, PhD, CPsychol, William V. Massey, PhD, CCASSP, and Brian Hemmings, PhD, CPsychol. "Role of Sport Medicine
Professionals in Addressing Psychosocial Aspects of Sport-Injury
Rehabilitation: Professional Athletes' Views." ProQuest Psychology
Journals. ProQuest, Nov.-Dec. 2014. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
Bloom, G. A., A. S. Horton, P. McCrory, and K. M. Johnston. "Sport
Psychology and Concussion: New Impacts to Explore." BMJ. British
Journal of Sports Medicine, 2004. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
(DIAGRAM) Shadi, Nina. "Life Lesson: What Are Your Basic
Needs?" With an Open Heart. N.p., 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2015.
Gaston-Gayles, Joy L. "Examining Academic and Athletic Motivation
Among Student Athletes at a Division I University." ProQuest
Psychology Journals. ProQuest, Jan.-Feb. 2004. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
Glazer, Douglas, D, DPE, ATC. "Development and Preliminary
Validation of the Injury-Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport
(I-PRRS) Scale." ProQuest Psychology Journals [ProQuest]. N.p.,
Mar.-Apr. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
Goldberg, Dr. Alan. "Rebounding from Injuries." Competitive Advantage:
Mental Toughness. Competitive Advantage, 10 June 2008. Web. 05 Dec.
2015.
Jennings, Baxter, Charlene Gemmill, Brandie Bohman, and Kristin
Lamb. "PHI350: The Stages in the Dying Process." PHI350: The
Stages in the Dying Process. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.

11

Mycah Berson
Pd 6
IM 1
English 12 AP

Klenk, Courtney A. "Psychological Response to Injury, Recovery, and

Social Support: A Survey of Athletes at an NCAA Division I
University."University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI.
University of Rhode Island, 2006. Web. Dec. 2015.
Lu, Frank J H, PhD, and Yamen Hsu, PhD. "Injured Athletes'
Rehabilitation Beliefs and Subjective Well-Being: The Contribution of
Hope and Social Support." ProQuest Psychology Journals. ProQuest,
Jan.-Feb. 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
McLeod, Saul. "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs." Simply Psychology.
N.p., 17 Sept. 2007. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.
Putukian, Margot. "Mind, Body and Sport: How Being Injured Affects
Mental Health." NCAA.org. N.p., 05 Nov. 2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
" Selected Issues for the Adolescent Athlete and the Team Physician: A
Consensus Statement." Pediatrics 123.6 (2009): 1608. 2009. Web. 12 Nov.
2015.
Siebert, Dave, MD, Senior Analyst. "Closer Look at AD's Injury and
Incredible Recovery." Bleacher Report. Ed. Dr. Jonathon Cluett. N.p.,
19 Dec. 2012. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
Tarkan, Laurie. "Athletes' Injuries Go Beyond the Physical." The New
York Times. The New York Times, 25 Sept. 2000. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
Webster, Hannah. "How to Overcome Depression After a Sports
Injury." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 21 July 2014. Web. 12
Oct. 2015.

12