South African professional Super Rugby players’ lived experiences of career-related traumatic injuries: A descriptive phenomenological analysis

Abstract


 
 
 
 Background: Historically, non-career-ending traumatic rugby injury (TRI) has been viewed from a predominantly biological perspective. However, dimensional perspectives, such as the biopsychosocial model, have highlighted the need to incorporate psychosocial understandings of TRI into treatment plans.
 Aim: To describe the lived experiences of a cohort of traumatically injured South African Super Rugby players in order to add to the body of literature on the subject of TRI experience.
 Methods: The employment of a qualitative, descriptive phenomenological method was used to achieve the research outcome.
 Discussion: Common descriptive themes indicated that TRI seems to exist within three stages: the initial, emotional and subsequent reactions to the traumatic injury. Sub-themes described within each stage included attempts at remaining positive and appraising the severity of the injury during onset, fear responses and concomitant feelings of loss related to foregone career opportunities during the emotional reactions stage, the employment of coping mechanisms, and relying on specific support structures during subsequent reactions. Two novel experiences revealed within this study and not reported in the international literature included the injured players’ reliance on compartmentalisation and positive religious belief structures as coping strategies. All themes were reduced to descriptive phenomenological essences that describe a lifeworld or biopsychosocial experience of TRI.
 Conclusion: Themes drawn from this study can be applied in the future design and implementation of expanded studies and psychological interventions aimed at assisting traumatically injured rugby players during their recovery process. The identified themes affirm aspects from the international literature while highlighting some uniquely South African outcomes.
 
 
 

Addressing negative psychosocial factors linked to severe injury in professional rugby players: An introduction to a group psychotherapy approach

“…Hall [ 3 ] , drawing from the biopsychosocial model of sports injury rehabilitation processes, [ 10 ] suggested that SRI affects the individual professional rugby player across biological, psychological and social dimensions of their life-world. The biopsychosocial model of sports injury rehabilitation considers seven dimensional influences: injury characteristics, socio-demographic factors, biological factors, psychological factors, social and contextual factors, intermediate biopsychosocial outcomes, and sports injury rehabilitation outcomes.…”

“…[ 11 ] Players live and work within a somewhat closed system that is potentially sceptical of outsiders, such as psychotherapists. A documented lack of psychotherapeutic referral networks, time and financial constraints, [ 6 ] and a paucity of psychoeducation around psychosocial expectations of injury recovery, [ 1 , 3 , 6 ] ongoing negative stigma associated with acknowledging the onset of CMD and seeking out psychotherapeutic assistance [ 1 , 6 ] seem to precipitate professional rugby players’ reliance on insider (e.g. teammates and medical professionals) support structures during SRI recovery rather than the seeking out or acceptance of external assistance, such as psychotherapists.…”

“…teammates and medical professionals) support structures during SRI recovery rather than the seeking out or acceptance of external assistance, such as psychotherapists. [ 3 , 6 ] A psychotherapeutic intervention aimed at lessening psychosocial risk associated with the negative effects of SRI should consider the creation of support structures coming from within the rugby environment and hence, possibly minimising risk of stigma towards seeking psychotherapeutic support.…”

“…These factors were consistent with those found in the literature exploring psychosocial sequelae of SRI. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ] Examples of how the integration of RMG therapeutic factors, mindfulness and guided imagery techniques, as well as how confrontation and relating in the group process addressed group specific themes of SRI reactions, are presented below.…”

“…[ 2 ] A growing body of literature outlines negative psychosocial sequelae of SRI that seem to be experienced in a stage-wise progression similar to the effects of a trauma experience. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]…”