Ross Wadey

Perceived Benefits Following Sport Injury: A Qualitative Examination of their Antecedents and Underlying Mechanisms

This study examined the antecedents and mechanisms underlying the perceived benefits following sport injury. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 previously injured athletes. The transcripts were content analyzed and the emergent themes displayed by causal networks (Miles & Huberman, 1994). Findings revealed a number of perceived benefits, which emanated from several antecedents across three temporal phases: (a) injury onset (e.g., emotional response), (b) rehabilitation (e.g., free time), and (c) return to competition sport (e.g., reflective practice). The participants also reported a number of mechanisms through which they derived their perceived benefits, including self-disclosure to others and mobilizing ones social support network. The findings have implications for enabling athletes to transform their injury from a potentially debilitating experience into an opportunity for growth and development.

Basic Psychological Skills Usage and Competitive Anxiety Responses: Perceived Underlying Mechanisms

This study examined the relationship between basic psychological skills usage (i.e., goal-setting, imagery, self-talk, and relaxation) and the intensity and directional dimensions of competitive anxiety. Semistructured interviews were used on a sample of 15 elite athletes (M age = 24.3 years, SD = 4.2) from a variety of team and individual sports. Findings revealed that the participants maintained the intensity of their anxiety response prior to competition and could deploy goal-setting, imagery, or self-talk to enable facilitative interpretations of anxiety-related symptoms to performance. Higher levels of self-confidence and an optimistic outlook toward forthcoming competition were also expressed. The underlying mechanisms perceived to be responsible for these effects included effort and motivation, attentional focus, and perceived control over the anxiety response.

Debilitative interpretations of competitive anxiety: A qualitative examination of elite performers

Abstract Research has not accounted for a small but significant proportion of elite performers who consistently report debilitative interpretations of competitive anxiety-related symptoms. Interviews were used to investigate elite athletes’ precompetitive thoughts, feelings, and mental strategies underlying symptom interpretation. Six male athletes, from a variety of sports (M age = 23.3, SD=2.2), who were currently competing within the UK, were found to hold debilitative interpretations. Data were drawn from verbatim transcripts and the content analysed. Four general dimensions traced the participants’ precompetitive states and mental skills from early competitive experiences to the present day. Findings indicated that the participants reported early debilitating symptoms, which became habituated throughout their respective careers. Possible explanations as to why these elite performers consistently reported negative interpretations related to mental preparation and effectiveness, psychological skills, coping strategies, perceptions of control, and perceived self-confidence levels. The way in which the athletes are able to compete at an elite level, despite reporting debilitative interpretations, is also discussed.

Examining Hardiness, Coping and Stress-Related Growth Following Sport Injury

This study aimed to explain how injured athletes high in hardiness experienced stress-related growth and why athletes low in hardiness are less likely to derive such benefits. Twenty participants were theoretically sampled into high (n = 10) and low (n = 10) hardiness groups. Semistructured interviews were used for data collection. Findings revealed that athletes high in hardiness experienced stress-related growth from having an emotional outlet, which enabled them to reframe their injury and experience positive affect. In contrast, athletes low in hardiness had no emotional outlet, which led to suboptimal outcomes. These findings have important implications for practitioners working with injured athletes.

Researching growth following adversity in sport and exercise: methodological implications and future recommendations

Abstract A novel concept that is gaining momentum in the field of sport and exercise psychology is growth following adversity. Specifically, researchers are interested in how participation in sport and exercise may act as a catalyst for self-development following a traumatic or stressful event. This interest and the resultant qualitative studies have led to a significant body of research, which has been subjected to systematic review and synthesis. Yet, while these reviews have consolidated our understanding of the research outcomes, minimal attention has been paid to the methodological processes. The aim of this study, therefore, is original, in that it aims to critically review qualitative research conducted on growth in the context of sport and exercise from a methodological perspective, and provide recommendations for researchers who intend to investigate this phenomenon. Aligned with the aims of this study, a narrative review was conducted due to its fluid and flexible nature. Four methodological considerations are critically reviewed, each posing questions to the reader: Is it Necessary to Establish Growth? The Difficulties with Expecting Growth, The Inseparability of Adversity and Growth, and How to Story Adversity and Growth. It is recommended that future researchers use prolonged engagement and diverse qualitative methodologies, and consider novel questions such as the embodied experiences of growth and the potential for vicarious growth. Ultimately, we hope this narrative review leads future researchers to be more reflective in their methodological choices, thus enhancing the integrity and quality of qualitative research examining growth following adversity.

Stress-related growth following sport injury: Examining the applicability of the organismic valuing theory

This study explored the applicability of organismic valuing theory (OVT) to stress‐related growth (SRG) following sport injury. Specifically, the direct and indirect relationships between need satisfaction (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness), SRG, and subjective well‐being (i.e., positive affect) were examined. Previously injured athletes (n = 520), ranging from 18 to 59 years of age (Mage = 23.3 years; standard deviation = 6.5), completed three measures: needs satisfaction scale, stress‐related growth scale, and positive affect scale. Structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood estimation revealed a significant positive relationship between competence and relatedness and SRG, and between SRG and positive affect. In line with OVT, SRG was also found to mediate the relationship between need satisfaction (competence and relatedness) and subjective well‐being. The findings offer preliminary support for the applicability of OVT in aiding our understanding of the antecedents and consequences of SRG. Future avenues of research are discussed, together with recommended methodologies to further extend and refine knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon of SRG following sport injury.

Reinjury anxiety, coping, and return-to-sport outcomes: a multiple mediation analysis.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine whether the dimensions of reinjury anxiety (i.e., intensity, frequency, and direction) predicted perceived return-to-sport outcomes and whether coping mediated this relationship. RESEARCH METHOD/DESIGN Using a cross-sectional research design, 335 participants (M age = 23.5; SD = 6.6) who had sustained a sports-related injury preventing participation in training and competition for a minimum of 4 weeks (M time loss = 98 days; SD = 96.8) completed measures of reinjury anxiety (RIA-RE subscale of the Reinjury Anxiety Inventory (RIAI); Walker, Thatcher, & Lavallee, 2010), coping (MCOPE; Crocker & Graham, 1995), and perceived return-to-sport outcomes (RSSIQ; Podlog & Eklund, 2005). Pearson product-moment correlation and Preacher and Hayess (2008) bootstrapping procedure were used to analyze the data. RESULTS Consistent with our hypotheses, results indicated a positive relationship between reinjury anxiety (intensity and frequency) and heightened return concerns, whereas reinjury anxiety interpreted as facilitative toward postinjury performance was associated with a positive renewed perspective on sport participation. Significant indirect effects for coping were found for wishful thinking, venting of emotions, denial, and behavioral disengagement. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS Future avenues of research that aim to provide a greater knowledge and understanding of the relationship between reinjury anxiety and return-to-sport outcomes are discussed, including the need for alternative theoretical perspectives and diverse methodologies.

A Grounded Theory of Sport Injury-Related Growth

Although previous research has shown that experiencing an injury can act as a catalyst for self-development, research that has examined the concept of sport injury-related growth (SIRG) remains largely descriptive. This study aimed to address this by developing a substantive theory to explain the processes through which injured athletes experienced SIRG. Using Strauss and Corbin’s (1998) variant of grounded theory, 37 injured athletes competing in a range of sports and competitive levels participated in qualitative interviews. Interviews (N = 70) and data analysis were conducted over a period of 24 months. Transcripts were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. Quality criteria used were fit, relevance, workability, and modifiability. The grounded theory produced (i.e., Theory of Sport Injury-Related Growth) suggests a number of internal (i.e., personality, coping styles, knowledge, and prior experience, and perceived social support) and external factors (i.e., cultural scripts, physical resources, time, and received social support) enable injured athletes to transform their injury into an opportunity for growth and development. The mechanisms through which this occurs are metacognitions, positive reappraisal, positive emotions, and facilitative responses. This theory offers a number of exciting avenues for future research, and provides medical personnel and practicing sport psychologists with a detailed explanation of how sport injury can lead to growth experiences.

Adjusting to retirement from sport: narratives of former competitive rhythmic gymnasts

Abstract This study used narrative inquiry to understand the retirement experiences of rhythmic gymnasts. Eight female former competitive gymnasts (M age = 24.5, SD = 8.33) each participated in four life-history interviews. Following dialogical narrative analysis, three narrative typologies were outlined: Entangled Narrative, Going Forward Narrative and Making Sense Narrative. The entangled narrative shows an individual with a monological athletic identity, who is unable to develop a new identity following her retirement to the detriment of her well-being, and wishes to return to being a gymnast. The going-forward narrative describes those former gymnasts who were able to develop multiple identities during their gymnastics career, and are now flourishing in their life post-retirement. The making sense narrative is an emergent narrative, which transcends the previous two narratives. Findings expand narrative research by providing new narrative resources to understand the experience of retirement from gymnastics. These narrative resources might assist gymnasts to expand their narrative repertoire by raising awareness of different narratives available in their culture.

Qualitative fieldwork in medical contexts: confessions of a neophyte researcher

Abstract Immersive fieldwork can facilitate an understanding of the richness, complexity and multifaceted relationships within medical environments, and is increasingly being used to explore sensitive topics within health care. However, few published studies have made use of immersive methods within hospitals or clinics, and there is a lack of guidance for those seeking to conduct immersive research within medical spaces. In this confessional tale, the first author, a neophyte qualitative researcher with no medical training, reflects upon her experiences during the first five months integrating into an amputee rehabilitation clinic prior to a period of immersive fieldwork. Drawing on 195 h of observation and the author’s reflexive journal (totalling more than 20,000 words), alongside discussions with the supervisory team, four main challenges are discussed: finding a role, navigating waiting spaces, encountering the unfamiliar, and ethics in the boardroom and in the field. Specific recommendations for novice researchers entering medical environments include: preparing to encounter those who do not share their beliefs, identifying a safe environment in which they can share their emotions, and engaging in reflective practice to explore the impact their (in)experience and willingness to embrace opportunities for learning may have within their own research context.