Injury Prevention Using Stress Management, Goal Setting, and Self-Confidence
Stress management, goal setting, and self-confidence all have a role in helping to reduce injuries. Though it needs to be kept in mind that sport injury risk is multifactorial, and that any injury prevention program needs to account for this nature (Gledhill et al., 2018).
Stress Management
There is a lot of literature highlighting the prevalence of stress in athletics (Madrigal & Robbins, 2020). Combining that with life stress and stress management seems like a good access point to help with injury reduction. Research has demonstrated that psychosocial interventions like stress management may play a role in reducing injury rates (Gledhill et al., 2018). However, Pargman (2007) writes about how any stress reduction program cannot be general and must be more targeted and specific to have an effect. The following study points out exactly why interventions need to be targeted. Pensgaard et al. (2018) found that players on a team who found teammates as a source of stress have a greater risk of sustaining an acute injury, and those who reported the coach as a source of stress had a greater risk of sustaining an overuse injury. Given even that information, it allows for a much more nuanced approach to help prevent injury and the crafting of well-thought-out stress-reducing intervention.
Self-Confidence
Transitioning to self-confidence, we find that if we can increase self-confidence, athletes are better when it comes to injury prevention and rehabilitation. When it comes to rehabilitation, Burland et al. (2018) highlight how after ACL injuries, one factor in returning to sport was a lack of confidence. Similarly, if an athlete is not confident, that increases the risk of injury because less confidence can cause hesitance, for example, which opens the door to injury. If strategically done, building an athlete’s confidence can help them succeed in training and injury prevention.
Goal Setting
Finally, when we look at goal setting, we see something similar where goal setting helps with injury prevention and rehabilitation. Evans and Hardy (2002) demonstrated that goal-setting interventions increased athlete adherence to the rehabilitation program and self-efficacy. The same could be said for prevention. If an athlete is focused on their goals, they are less likely to engage in behaviors that would risk an injury.
Depending on the athlete and situation, it would be interesting to craft an intervention that utilized all three aspects together!
Purple flowers on a book next to an hour glass with sand pouring down.
take action today moment:
While this post is heavy on the research (Sorry!), the research does point to the benefits of approaching injury prevention, stress management, goal setting, and self-confidence. With that in mind, if you are a helping professional who supports athletes, what do you think about considering the incorporation of these concepts into your work? If you are an athlete or not an athlete, consider how stress management, goal setting, and self-confidence could actually help you be more resilient. These concepts can be beneficial to everyday life.
Learn More About Deliberate Practice:
Psychological Skills for Injury Prevention and Recovery
References
Burland, J. P., Toonstra, J., Werner, J. L., Mattacola, C. G., Howell, D. M., & Howard, J. S. (2018). Decision to return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, part I: A qualitative investigation of psychosocial factors. Journal of Athletic Training, 53(5), 452-463. https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-313-16
Evans, L., & Hardy, L. (2002). Injury rehabilitation: A goal-setting intervention study. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 73(3), 310-319. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2002.10609025
Gledhill, A., Forsdyke, D., & Murray, E. (2018). Psychological interventions used to reduce sports injuries: a systematic review of real-world effectiveness. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(15), 967-971.
Madrigal, L., & Robbins, J. E. (2020). Student-athlete stress: An examination in United States collegiate athletics. Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education, 14(2), 123-139. https://doi.org/10.1080/19357397.2020.1774261
Pargman, D. (2007). Psychological bases of sport injuries (3rd ed.). Fitness Information Technology.
Pensgaard, A. M., Ivarsson, A., Nilstad, A., Solstad, B. E., & Steffen, K. (2018). Psychosocial stress factors, including the relationship with the coach, and their influence on acute and overuse injury risk in elite female football players. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 4(1), e000317. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2017-000317