1. “I’m trying out all the old people’s sports now”
Impact of High School ACL Tears on Well-being of College Students
Hayley C. Russell1, Jill Tracey2, Michelle McAlarnen3, & Mary Westby1
1Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota, USA, 2Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
3Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota, USA
BACKGROUND
RESULTS
RESULTS
For the second purpose thematic analysis revealed numerous motives and barriers to physical activity participation as a result of their injury experiences.
Motives:
to find purpose/meaning/enjoyment in other activities
to remain active
focus on long-term health
coaching/career opportunities
share passion of sport with others
to do rehab & re-establish health & resume activity
to be social/affiliate through PA
to see something good coming from injury experience (SRG)
Barriers:
physical limitations (e.g. pain, clicking, vulnerability)
psychological (e.g. fear, enjoyment, anxiety)
opportunities to compete
pain as limiting engaging in other PA
lack of control over ability to play
Research on outcomes post-ACL tears has focused primarily on the experience of return to play (see te Weirke et al., 2012).
It has been well documented that approximately half of all athletes who experience ACL tears do not return to their previous level of sport participation (Ardern et al., 2013), however, little is known about the experience of these individuals.
Not returning to play as potential negative physical and psychosocial consequences including reduced QOL (Ochiai et al., 2011) and lower life satisfaction (Kleiber & Brock, 1992)
Ending competitive sport also comes with expected reduction in physical activity amount and intensity (Sorenson et al., 2015), however, it is unclear what causes this reduction in activity and if it is unique for athletes who experience ACL injuries.
Thematic analysis revealed four themes relating to impact on well-being:
Perspective: awareness of long-term health, awareness of being ‘more’ than their sport/injury, decreased unidimensional identity
“There’s definitely been a transition from me working out only thinking about soccer and now I’m doing physical activity thinking about my future” – Participant 11
Beliefs: what causes/prevents injury, shift in values, motivation, loss of invincibility
“Your body is telling you you can’t do it anymore and I don’t have the strength back in my knees like I used to” – Participant 9
Pervasiveness: lengthy rehabilitation, long-term physical and psychological impact, influence decisions/choices for PA and career options
“Trying to like get my knee’s life back together that I didn’t really care too much about making sure the rest of my life was where I wanted it to be.” – Participant 5
Transition/Adaptation: injury as pivot to life and PA direction change, opportunity to improve health and wellness, stress-related growth (SRG)
“I tell people I’m trying out all the old people’s sports now like I already amped up my golf a bit, I’m running with the Nordic ski team later today and yea the tennis stuff.” – Participant 11
Impact on Well-being
Perspective
Transition/Adaptation
Beliefs
Pervasiveness
PURPOSE
To explore the impact of an ACL tear during high school sport participation on well-being in undergraduate students not participating in a collegiate sport.
To examine motives and barriers to physical activity (PA) participation in undergraduate students with a history of ACL tears.
IMPLICATIONS
Understanding the experience of athletes who do not return to competitive sport has important implications for sport psychology consultants. Specifically, consultants can help athletes more successfully transition from participation in competitive sport to participation in meaningful physical activity and can prepare athletes for the challenges and opportunities in transitioning out of competitive sport.
METHODS
Eleven college students (4 males, 7 females; Mage = 20.45) with a history of ACL tears who were not participating in an NCAA intercollegiate sport were interviewed regarding their injury and rehabilitation experiences, and motives and barriers to current physical activity participation. A thematic analysis approach was adopted to recognize, examine, and report patterns, synthesized into themes guided by the steps outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006). Two researchers independently coded and analyzed the data then reviewed themes, refined, and named them collaboratively.
REFERENCES
Ardern, C. L et al. (2013). Psychological responses matter in returning to preinjury level of sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 41,
Braun, V., & Clarke,V. (2006)Using thematic analysis in psychology.Qualitative Research in Psychology,3(2),
Kleiber, D. A., & Brock, S. C. (1992). The effect of career-ending injuries on the subsequent well-being of elite college athletes. Sociology of Sport Journal, 9,
Ochiai, S. et al. (2011).Prospective analysis of health-related quality of life and clinical evaluations in patients with ACL injury undergoing reconstruction.Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, 131,
Sorenson, S. C., Romano, R., Azen, S. P., Schoeder, E. T., & Salem, G. J. (2015). Life Span exercise among elite intercollegiate student athletes. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach, 7,
te Wierike., S.C.M., van der Sluis, A., van den Akker-Scheek, I. Elferink-Gemser, M.T., & Visscher, C. (2013). Psychosocial factors influencing the recovery of athletes with anterior cruciate ligament injury: A systematic review. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sorts, 23,