Coping with sports injuries: an examination of the adolescent athlete

doi:10.1016/S1054-139X(02)00400-7

Journal of Adolescent Health

Volume 31, Issue 5, November 2002, Pages 391-393

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1054-139X(02)00400-7 Get rights and content

Abstract

Forty-eight injured adolescent athletes completed questionnaires over 3 months after injury to assess psychosocial outcomes. Depressive symptoms decreased over time, and the lack of positive stress and high athletic identity were associated with early depressive symptoms after accounting for injury severity. Increased social support was associated with lower initial depressive symptoms.

Section snippets

procedures

After obtaining Institutional Review Board approval, we screened all injured 15- to 18-year-olds seen at our institution between May 2000 and February 2001. Athletes who would be out of sports for at least 3 weeks (this cut-off was chosen because it was believed that a shorter period would not significantly affect emotional outcomes) were approached. After consent forms were signed, adolescents completed questionnaires in a quiet area away from parent(s).

Follow-up information was obtained

Results

Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed a significant drop in depression scores over time [F(3,47) = 3.89, p = .01], with significant decreases occurring from injury onset to 6 weeks (t = 3.16, df = 47, p = .003), and from onset to 12 weeks (t = 3.21, df = 47, p = .002). When a cut-off for mild-moderate depression was implemented (scores > 15), 27% (n = 13) of the adolescents scored in the moderately depressed range at injury onset. The number of adolescents exceeding the cut-point

Discussion

Depression scores at injury onset in this study were about one point higher than those obtained in a previous study of high school students [10]. Although not a large difference, earlier research has shown that sports-involved adolescents tend to be less depressed [11] and have greater emotional well-being 1, 2 than adolescents in general. Therefore, the depressive symptom scores in the present sample may be more significant than they seem.

Although limited by the lack of preinjury depression

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^☆: This research was aided by pilot funding from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine Intramural Research Support Committee.

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Adolescent health briefCoping with sports injuries: an examination of the adolescent athlete☆

Abstract

Section snippets

procedures

Results

Discussion

Lancet

Effects of physical activity on psychological variables in adolescents

Pediatr Exerc Sci

Situational correlates of emotional adjustment to athletic injury

Clin J Sport Med

Athletic identityHercules’ muscles or Achilles heel?

Int J Sport Psychol

Validation of the PRQ85 social support measure for adolescents

Nurs Res

Adolescent health brief
Coping with sports injuries: an examination of the adolescent athlete☆