Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0697-6057

Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

College of Applied Human Sciences

Department

Sport and Exercise Psychology

Committee Chair

Samuel Zizzi

Committee Co-Chair

Ashley Coker-Cranney

Committee Member

Ashley Coker-Cranney

Committee Member

Julie Partridge

Abstract

Sport injuries continue to be unavoidable disruptions in student-athletes’ athletic careers with over 200,000 injuries estimated to be reported each year in college sport (Kerr et al., 2015). Researchers continue to emphasize the importance of an interprofessional approach to rehabilitation to help athletes manage the adverse psychological and emotional reactions to injury (Appaneal et al., 2009; Gervis et al., 2020; Putukian, 2016). The purpose of this study was to extend and replicate the research of Clement and Arvinen-Barrow (2021) by incorporating perspectives of Division I US student-athletes. The current study describes 321 NCAA Division I collegiate athletes’ experiences of receiving interprofessional care during injury rehabilitation. A secondary purpose of the study was to explore perceptions of, and access to, sport psychology professionals during rehabilitation. Participants were asked to complete a multidisciplinary team categorization tool (e.g., primary vs. secondary), a modified version of the Social Support Survey (Corbillon et al., 2008), open-ended questions, injury details, and demographic variables. After several rounds of email and in-person recruitment lasting approximately three months, 321 Division I student-athletes across 16 NCAA conferences participated in the cross-sectional study. Athletes placed athletic trainers, athletic coaches, and strength and conditioning coaches most commonly on the primary rehabilitation team. Additionally, athletic coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, and physicians were most frequently identified as secondary rehabilitation team members. Overall, mental health supports were the most missed services identified by participants. For those that did work with one of these professionals, the main themes that emerged were helpfulness of a safe space and feeling supported beyond sport. This study provided support for the use of the multidisciplinary model of sport injury rehabilitation within the context of collegiate athletics.

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