Psychological factors associated with recovery status from sports injuries in college student athletes: from the perspective of differences in types of sports in individual sports

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify psychological factors related to recovery from sports injuries in judo and track and field. A questionnaire survey was conducted with male and female university judo players (n=944) and track and field athletes (n=645), who were identified using the snowball sampling. The questionnaire included the following items; the state of sports injuries, individual traits, coping resources, health related issues, stress responses and emotional supports. The questionnaire was conducted twice within a one year interval. Responses of participants with sports injuries were analyzed in the first survey (judo: n=190, track and field: n=111). Psychological factors in the recovery group and the non-recovery group were compared between the first and second survey and between groups by a two-way repeated measures ANOVA. In judo, there was a main effect between the groups of interpersonal dependency, stress responses “irritability-anger” and health management confidence (p< .05). In addition, there was an interaction effect between acquired resilience and emotional support from coaches (p< .05). In track and field, there was a main effect between the groups of stress responses “depression-anxiety” and “helplessness”, and between the time point of interpersonal dependency (p< .05). The results of this study suggested that while there were similarities in psychological factors between judo and track and field, the effects differed based on the type of sport, and that measures appropriate to the type of sport were required for psychological support when returning to the sport.