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Influence of Social Support on Athletes' Performance in Return From Injury
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The best way to understand an individual is to understand the contexts and variables that had the greatest influence on that individual’s development (Myers & Sweeny, 2004). Therefore, the hallmark feature of the Indivisible Self model is the interaction between its components (i.e., local, institutional, global, and chronometrical contextual variables), which is highly correlative with Bronfenbrenner’s Social Ecology Model. While Bronfenbrenner’s framework and the Indivisible Self were not specifically developed for athletes, both can be directly applied to an athlete’s life, influences, and development. One of the many similarities between the Wheel of Wellness, Indivisible Self, and Bronfenbrenner’s models is they all advocate the importance of relationships and social support. In addition, research has indicated that social support or perceived social support is a beneficial coping mechanism for athletes or anyone else who is facing an aversive situation (Ford & Gordon, 1999; Myers et al., 2000). Therefore, Ford and Gordon (1999) examined social support as a coping mechanism for athletes who suffered a serious sport-related injury. …show more content…
The two male athletes played Australian football at a national level, one female played volleyball at a regional level, and one female played basketball recreationally (Ford & Gordon, 1999). Ford and Gordon (1999) conducted semi-structured interviews with open- and closed-ended questions that prompted athletes to discuss the influence of social support during his or her injury. Both females were interviewed prior to surgery and at intervals of 10-13 days, 43-50 days, 75-92 days, and 120-125 days post- surgery (Ford & Gordon, 1999). The males were not interviewed prior to surgery; however, they were interviewed at the same intervals as the females post-surgery (Ford & Gordon,
Blood pressure rising and testosterone dropping are good symptoms (that is, to someone who is a sports enthusiast); nail biting, heart pounding, and barn burning games are bread and butter to sports enthusiasts such as me. Rivalry, unity, and relaxation help me bond with other individuals who share a common interest as I do. Within the article “Are Sports Fans Happier?”, author Sid Kirchheimer gives his bias reasoning over sports and its social, health, and psychological effects on sports enthusiasts, which elaborates and aligns concisely to why I passionately enjoy lacrosse and soccer. Fundamentally speaking, sports initially bequeath an array of positive benefits besides good health and mental stability; sports allow individuals to indulge
One crowd was made up of middle-aged college graduates who played division one sports. The supplemented group comprised of middle-aged college graduates who did not participate in sports. The study showed they were in much poorer physical condition, and agonized from a number of things including depression, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. Non-athletes portrayed much less signs of wear and tear. The fact that they do not get paid is only part of the problem.
However, what this argument does not take into account is that athletes have an abundance of pressure put on them that most non-athletes don’t ever experience. Hence, the saying, “go hard or go home”. A recent study emphasizes this fact as McClatchy notes, ”The researchers monitored mood levels of 465 collegiate athletes over three years and found 6.3 percent of the athletes met the criteria for clinically significant depression and 24 percent were considered ‘clinically relevant’ “ (2016). Studies like these prove that athletes are not blind to the idea of depression, but rather experience this disorder themselves. Anxiety has a huge role in depression. As sportsperson, there is constant effort to become an awe-inspiring player. As the stakes of the game raise, so does the anxiety. Some want a scholarship, some want to show off what they offer to a team that got a scholarship, and some are professionals. Regardless of whether it's grade school sport or a professional sport, failing at personal goals one set is down right depressing. Kearns and Hwang state that, ”While it’s not clear whether the source of challenges to a student-athlete's mental well-being is the same as those non-athletes, collegiate athletes are known to encounter unique stressor that the general population doesn’t have to deal with, such as the demands, relationships with coaches and missed scheduled classes” (2014). Pressure is something everyone experiences. However, athletes experience some of the same pressure that of non-athletes and then some. Being on a sports team is demanding to time and the idea of being “superior”. In athletics, coaches are everything. For example, If a coach likes how a person attributes as a team player, then that person will get a chance to shine. However, if the coach is not very fond of one, then the chances of opportunities are not very
Participation in sports has proven to increase self-discipline and self-esteem, and can teach athletes to learn from their mistakes and move on (Issitt). Athletes playing team sports also develop the ability to work well with others and use teamwork in their everyday lives. Teammates form relationships that are strengthened over a common passion and goal. These relationships can last long after high school is over (Chen). These social skills translate into better communication used with an athlete’s family, peers, and in the community. Likewise, “A 2006 study in Maryland found that student athletes are 15 percent more likely than non athletes to be involved in their communities and to take the time for civic engagements, including participating in voting and volunteer activities” (Issitt). The same study also concluded that athletes are far more likely to be comfortable with public speaking than non-athletes. This study provides concrete evidence that high school sports can help to gain mental and social skills that will be used later in life
Athletes are often viewed specially because of their intense determination. They often beat themselves up in order to overcome what they think they can do. Breaking this threshold nearly always requires the overcoming of adversity. In sports psychology, when an athlete “not only makes it through [his] adversity, but acquires additional protective factors in the process”, he has undergone what is known as “resilient reintegration” (Galli, Nick, and Robin S. Vealey 318). This is especially the case when “an athlete returns with a greater appreciation of sport or a stronger work ethic than before” (319). According to exercise and sport scientist Galli’s study, athletes who overcame adversity were ninety percent more capable to cope with future adversities and perform “well in both sport and in life” (320). It is no surprise that people who have overcome adversities in their past are better suited to overcome them again. What is a surprise is how far this truly goes. In fact, this study shows that athletes who have returned from an
(WHO, 2014). Mental health problems within sport is often overlooked compared to the physical sporting benefits and difficulties which be improved or occur due to sports participation. Many researchers often focus upon the physical side of sport as stereotypically sport and the physiology of participants have always been closely linked, but the psychological side of sport not so much until more recent years, which could possibly due to the stigma of mental health being perceived as deeming a person ‘weak’ causing a reduced mount of people to want to speak about their own mental health and wellbeing, making research difficult to conduct. But with the social stigma of mental health gradually reducing many more people, particularly adults are expressing their mental health concerns and issues with more comfort and ease. With this reduce in stigma, a number of staggering statistics has recently been released by the Mental Health Foundation, with nearly half of the adult population within the UK, specifically 43.4%, now reporting to have a diagnosable mental health condition, 1 in 6, 17%, experiencing a common mental health problem such as anxiety and depression and more shockingly, 1 in 5, 20.6%, admitting to considering taking their own
Banwell proposes that our view of injuries within sports depends on several factors, such as: its seriousness, the impact on the athletes’ future career, and the sporting context of the incident.
Due to the nature of sport, athletes will always be faced with the possibility of becoming injured. Empirical research has demonstrated that injury has a psychological impact on athletes (Quinn & Fallon, 1999). Indeed, sports practitioners often witness negative psychological impacts such as depression and in extreme cases suicidal tendencies in the injured athlete (Jevon & Johnston, 2003). Injuries have a dramatic impact upon an athlete’s life (Deutsch, 1985), Crossman (1997) interviewed athletic trainers and established that 47% of respondents believed that every injured athlete suffered psychological trauma. Walker, Thatcher and Lavallee (2007), explain there is a need to advance current knowledge of the way injured athletes psychologically respond, with deeper understanding it would be possible to aid rehabilitation professionals and help the athlete cope better psychologically. Psychological issues have an important role in the athletes ability to recover from injury (Arvinen-Barrow, Penny, Hemmings, & Corr, 2010), understanding how an athlete responds will have multiple practical implications. Ford and Gordon (1997) suggest that if an athlete experiences negative emotions then it will lead to non-complinace of the rehabilitation process. In order to understand athletes psychological responses to injury several frameworks have been suggested. These include the: integrated model of response to sports injury and rehabilitation (Wiese-Bjornstal, Smith, Shaffer, & Morrey, 1998), the Bio-Psychosocial model of sport injury rehabilitation (Brewer, Andersen, & Van Raalte, 2002), the staged-based grief response models (Kubler-Ross, 1969) and the stage model of the return to sport (Taylor & Taylor, 1997).
During that duration of time, the idea of waiting and not performing can sometimes cause an athlete to feel angry, to be in denial, and grief about it. According to Arlene and Brownell, Ph.D. professors) define social support as “an exchange of resources between at least two or more individuals perceived by the provider or the recipient to be intended to enhance the well-being of the recipient”. Close relatives such as family members, team members, and coaches can have a significant impact on the athlete who is injured. In most cases, the athletic trainer is the primary source of social support simply because they are there in the process of injury recovery.
People who have become involved in sports and recreation develop a larger group of friends, receive more social support, and are more likely to engage in conversation with o...
Children who participate in sports are developing rapidly in sports skills, sportsmanship, and psychologically, but does this come from organized sports are just nature’s process. Children develop emotional and social benefits from participating in sports. Children experience character and leadership development through peer relations leading to an increase in self-esteem and a decrease in anxiety levels. Children will get opportunities to experience positive and negative emotions throughout their practice and games trials. It is important for the coach to understand the “psychology of youth sports and physical activity participation” (Weinberg & Gould, 2011 p.516).
In the article, “Athletes and Coaches Report Mental Health is Slightly More Important Than Physical Health in Overall Performance; Both Agree That More Communication is Needed to Address Mental Health Concerns.”, the Minds in Motion Depression Awarenes Campaign conducted a survey and found that the athletes and coaches believed that “mental health shares an equal, and/or slightly greater role than physical health, in defining peak athletic
This proves that social support from family and friends can help the athlete to manage their injuries in a more positive way.
In modern culture the established altruistic values surrounding sports have contributed to the widely held belief that professional athletes are somehow superhuman, specifically when it comes to dealing with injuries. For instance, by playing hurt for the good of their team, past athletes, like Emmitt Smith, who despite of a separated shoulder continued to play against the New York Giants in 1993, have inadvertently set a precedent condoning the act of risking long term health in order to “live in the moment” (Rhoden 4). Ultimately, this is where the controversy surrounding the handling of athlete injuries arises. Fans, who have witnessed such incredible feats of heroism and toughness, have begun to generalize all athletes as superhuman entities, capable of withstanding unfathomable levels of pain. These values, combined with the fact that fans pay hundreds of millions of dollars each year to see their favorite athletes in action, have created a “code that mandates that athletes play with pain, that they suck it up” (Rhoden 4) Consequently, professional athletes now find themselves having to decide whether they should
During the semester, I learned a lot on how to deal with psychological distress and how as an athletic trainer I should deal with athletes to overcome their situation and be there for them. Throughout my time as an athletic training student, I always liked to observe my preceptors on how they deal with athletics that are having psychological distress after injuries, and how as an athletic trainer I should handle these situations in a professional manner. There is one situation in particular that occurred during the King’s College football season that I would like to discuss.