1. Sports Psychology: Injuries and Retirement David Dominguez-Maez Northern New Mexico College Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Psychology Concentration Abstract Hypotheses Theory Introduction Data Collection and Methods Data Analysis and Findings Continued Data Analysis Conclusions References The research was not original data, It was analysis of already existing data -- It is a one shot case study. This sample and data collected was taken from Dr. Don McGrath’s book, 50 Athletes Over 50 Teach Us to Live a Strong, Healthy Life, where McGrath interviews 50 athletes regarding their respective careers. Although the book looks at 50 athletes, only 39 of the athletes were recorded in the data. not every athlete was able to meet the criteria of questions that I made for this research. Table 1 shows the number of athletes recorded (N=39) and the name of each athlete. Fortunately, there are no ethical issues with this data as it is public knowledge with no need for confidentiality This quantitative study is a univariate analysis based upon qualitative data. The purpose of this research was to determine how athletes who suffered with injuries throughout their career coped with them during and after their career; more specifically, whether the athlete suffered from depression due to the injuries sustained. This exploratory research looks at 39 athletes, and their journeys in their respective careers. Although with such research does come certain ethical issues, this research was done by examining previous research already done. Therefore, the information of these athletes is open to the public and does not need to be anonymous or confidential. Table 2 represents the number of athletes that suffered injuries throughout their respective careers, and those that did not. The dependent variable given is whether or not these athletes did endure any injuries. Table 2: Dependent variable Table 2 shows 11 athletes endured some type of injuries throughout their careers, while the majority, 28 did not. Table 3 below shows a bimodal pattern for the severity of the injuries the 11 athletes suffered. Table 3: Severity of Injury In addition, table 3 shows 10 out of the 11 athletes with injuries were reported as being very severe. Table 4: Injuries Currently Affecting? Furthermore, table 4 illustrates whether the injuries currently affect the athlete. Of the 11 athletes, 7 (63.64%) were said be currently affected with their endured injuries. Finally, table 5 shows the amount of satisfaction with life the 39 athletes have and express currently. Table 5. Life Satisfaction Of the 11 athletes that suffered injuries, 7 expressed a great deal of satisfaction, with the 4 remaining expressing very much satisfaction. Although the small sample size (N=39) makes confirmatory results problematic. Based on this data alone, the data expresses that despite the small sample of athletes currently being affected by the injuries they suffered (N=7), the implication is there was little to no depression suffered as well. However, there is still need for further research to continue and explore the potential for depression among athletes who may suffer certain severe and career threatening injuries. The research being examined is exploratory. According to www.pbs.org, the National Football League averaged 5.4 concussions per week in 2009, 7.6 in 2010, and 8.4 in 2011. Additionally, teams had 128 players with concussions or head injuries on weekly regular-season reports through the first 14 weeks of the 2012 season. The most severe the Injuries suffered increases the chances of depression. The more severe the Injuries suffered decreases the chances of depression Null hypothesis: severity of injuries will not affect depression The investigation and research on athletes coping with injuries suffered pertains psychologically to Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), founded by Dr. Aaron T. Beck. CBT focuses on depression, and the automatic thoughts pertaining to depression. My theory states that athletes who’s careers were cut short due to injuries will have more depression than athletes who did not end their career due to injuries Babbie, Earl R. The Practice of Social Research. 13th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. http://www.beckinstitute.org/history -of-cbt/ McGrath, Don. Medic, Nikola. Wright, Vonda. 50 Athletes Over 50 Teach Us to Live a Strong, Healthy Life. Wise Media Group, 2010. Print