Exploring student-athletes’ perceptions of their psychological readiness to return to sport following a concussion.

Abstract

Athletes returning to sport following a concussion are deemed "ready" once they progress through the return to sport (RTS) steps. However, this process largely overlooks psychological factors involved in returning to sport. We used a constructivist philosophical position to understand 12 (n = 6 females, n = 6 males) formerly concussed Canadian university student-athletes' perceptions of factors involved in feeling psychologically ready to RTS. Each student-athlete participated in two videoconference interviews (Interview 1: M = 103 min; Interview 2: M = 88 min). We identified six themes from the life-story interviews: confidence, fear, identity, pressure, support, and case-bycase. Subsequently, we used creative nonfiction analysis to write two composite stories depicting the athletes' experiences returning to sport following a concussion. Pierre-Olivier's story portrays a second-year university men's ice hockey player who experienced a successful RTS following a concussion. His story focuses on his feelings of psychological readiness leading up to his first game following medical clearance. Andrea's story portrays a women's rugby captain who experienced an unsuccessful RTS following a concussion. Her story depicts a conversation with her doctor regarding medical clearance as well as interactions with a former teammate seeking advice about her own concussion. This study provides insights about the psychological factors experienced by athletes who are attempting to RTS following concussion. Our results highlight a need to better understand and more comprehensively assess the psychological aspects involved in returning to sport following a concussion.

Advancing open science and methodological rigor in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology.

“…It is recognized that there will be instances, for example, in the use of qualitative studies (see Tamminen et al, 2021), where it would not be possible to provide data for open access use without violating assurances of anonymity and/or confidentiality. Since adopting the TOP Guidelines, the journal has received and published several high-quality qualitative studies that make this very point (e.g., Benson et al, 2022; Hong & Allen, 2022; Lassman et al, 2022; Salim & Winter, 2022). In making data available, authors are also directed to ensure that they follow their respective institutional review board requirements related to the treatment of shared data (i.e., de-identification).…”

When should an athlete retire or discontinue participating in contact or collision sports following sport-related concussion? A systematic review

“…confidence to return to contact or collision sports. 123 the relative risks and benefits of participating in contact or collision sports, and parents/guardians may not be unanimous in their recommendations, influenced by multiple factors including cultural and socio-economic background, 125 expectations for the child's future professional sports capabilities, vicarious benefits from the child's sporting achievements, and parental anxieties. It is also imperative to appreciate that the priorities in children are cognitive and emotional development and physical maturation.…”