Abstract
This study investigated potential risk factors (coping, perfectionism, and self-regulation) for substantial injuries in contemporary dance students using a prospective cohort design, as high-quality studies focusing on mental risk factors for dance injuries are lacking. Student characteristics (age, sex, BMI, educational program, and history of injury) and psychological constructs (coping, perfectionism, and self-regulation) were assessed using the Performing artist and Athlete Health Monitor (PAHM), a web-based system. Substantial injuries were measured with the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) Questionnaire on Health Problems and recorded on a monthly basis as part of the PAHM system. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the associations between potential risk factors (i.e., student characteristics and psychological constructs) and substantial injuries. Ninety-nine students were included in the analyses. During the academic year 2016/2017, 48 students (48.5%) reported at least one substantial injury. Of all factors included, coping skills (OR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.84–0.98), age (OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.46–0.98), and BMI (OR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.05–1.80) were identified as significant risk factors in the multivariate analysis. The model explained 24% of the variance in the substantial injury group. Further prospective research into mental risk factors for dance injuries with larger sample sizes is needed to develop preventive strategies. Yet, dance schools could consider including coping skills training as part of injury prevention programs and, perhaps, providing special attention to younger dancers and those with a higher BMI through transitional programs to assist them in managing the stress they experience throughout their (academic) career.
Highlights
Dancers are high-performance athletes who are highly vulnerable to sustaining an injury (Ramkumar et al, 2016), which can have severe consequences, such as required medical treatment, experienced discomfort, decreased health-related quality of life, restricted artistic development due to absence from dance activities, and a significant delay in studying (Kenny et al, 2016; Yau et al, 2017; White et al, 2018)
This study investigated potential risk factors for substantial injuries in contemporary dance students using a prospective cohort design, as high-quality studies focusing on mental risk factors for dance injuries are lacking
Of all factors included, coping skills (OR: 0.91; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.84–0.98), age (OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.46–0.98), and BMI (OR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.05–1.80) were identified as significant risk factors in the multivariate analysis
Summary
Dancers are high-performance athletes who are highly vulnerable to sustaining an injury (Ramkumar et al, 2016), which can have severe consequences, such as required medical treatment, experienced discomfort, decreased health-related quality of life, restricted artistic development due to absence from dance activities, and a significant delay in studying (Kenny et al, 2016; Yau et al, 2017; White et al, 2018). Previous literature showed prevalence and incidence rates of injuries among pre-professional ballet, modern and contemporary dancers ranging from 37 to 86% and from 0.77 to 4.71 injuries per 1,000 h of dance (Kenny et al, 2016; Lee et al, 2017; van Winden et al, 2019). Previous studies aiming at identifying risk factors for ballet and modern dance injuries have shown little consistence due to a lack of quality and level of evidence (Kenny et al, 2016). Mental skills can be considered adaptable (Kenny et al, 2016), which makes them appropriate for preventive measures
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