Injuries are common in athletes, in fact a study across 66 sports found that 72% of athletes reported experiencing at least one injury.
Beyond the physical impact, injuries can take a serious toll on an athlete’s well-being by affecting their basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
- Autonomy: Pressure to return before fully recovering can leave athletes feeling controlled rather than in charge of their rehabilitation.
- Competence: Injuries can lower self-confidence and create fear of re-injury or not performing at pre-injury levels.
- Relatedness: Time away from teammates and coaches can lead to feelings of isolation.
- How much do athletes experience moment-to-moment changes in need satisfaction, need frustration, and well-being?
- How are need satisfaction and frustration linked to well-being within individuals?
- Do changes in needs influence well-being over time, and vice versa?
Key Findings:
- Injured athletes’ well-being is influenced by both stable traits (personality, support systems) and momentary changes (pain, rehab progress, social interactions).
- Need satisfaction improves well-being, while need frustration reduces it, both in the moment and overall, during rehab.
- Carry-over effects are limited: changes in one moment rarely predicted well-being at the next, suggesting effects are short-term or temporary.
- Energy levels show a delayed effect: frustration didn’t immediately impact energy but predicted lower energy later, indicating cumulative stress effects.
- Overall, psychological needs are critical for recovery and addressing them can directly boost emotional well-being during rehabilitation.
Practical Applications for Rehab:
- Focus on daily needs: Well-being is linked to day-to-day changes in need satisfaction and frustration, not just overall recovery progress.
- Target key needs: Supporting autonomy (athlete input in goals), competence (clear feedback), and relatedness (team and staff support) has immediate benefits.
- Micro-interventions help: Encouraging behaviors that align with needs (e.g., conscientiousness for competence) can enhance daily well-being.
- Holistic benefits: Meeting psychological needs improves emotions, motivation, adherence to rehab protocols, and overall recovery outcomes.
- Practical strategies for staff: Combine need-based assessments with physical ones, train staff to recognize shifting needs, and use tools like daily digital check-ins to provide timely, individualized support.
Injured athletes face not just physical challenges, but psychological stress as well.
Paying attention to daily fluctuations in autonomy, competence, and relatedness can make rehabilitation more holistic, improve adherence, and ultimately support better emotional and physical outcomes for athletes.
