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Self‐reported psychological characteristics as risk factors for injuries in female youth football
Author(s) -
Steffen K.,
Pensgaard A. M.,
Bahr R.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2008.00797.x
Subject(s) - football , injury prevention , medicine , anxiety , poison control , occupational safety and health , physical therapy , suicide prevention , cohort , odds ratio , odds , coping (psychology) , human factors and ergonomics , psychology , clinical psychology , emergency medicine , psychiatry , logistic regression , law , pathology , political science
Identifying and understanding injury risk factors are necessary to target the injury‐prone athlete and develop injury prevention measurements. The influence of psychological factors on injuries in football is poorly documented. The purpose of this 8‐month prospective cohort study therefore was to examine whether psychological player characteristics assessed by a self‐administered questionnaire represent risk factors for injury. At baseline, female football players (14–16 years) were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire covering player history, previous injuries, perception of success and motivational climate, life stress, anxiety and coping strategies. During the 2005 season, a total of 1430 players were followed up to record injuries. A history of a previous injury [odds ratio (OR)=1.9 (1.4; 2.5), P <0.001] increased the risk of a new injury to the same region. There were significant differences in disfavor for previously injured compared with non‐injured players for ego orientation ( P =0.007), perception of a performance climate ( P =0.003) and experienced stressful life events ( P <0.001). However, only high life stress ( P =0.001) and perception of a mastery climate ( P =0.03) were significant risk factors for new injuries. In conclusion, a perceived mastery climate and a high level of life stress were significant predictors for new injuries in a cohort of young female football players.