A Psychological Evaluation of how Confidence is affected during Injury and the Factors which affect it

Abstract

This study explores the factors affecting confidence during the three phases of injury: injury onset, rehabilitation and return to sport. Participants consisted of male (n = 7) and female (n = 2) participants comprising of: football players (n = 5), climbers (n = 2), athletes (n = 1) and rugby players (n = 1). Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the factors which impacted on confidence during the three phases of injury. Analysis of the data identified a number of factors affecting confidence from each phase. The most prevalent factors which emerged from the study were: injury history (onset), time spent out injured (rehabilitation) and progression of fitness (return).