Psychological susceptibility to sports injuries is about how our minds, actions, and social factors can affect the likelihood of getting hurt while playing sports. It includes the mental aspect of sports medicine psychology (Wiese-Bjornstal et al., 2018).
Some factors that can increase the chances of getting injured are related to our thoughts, emotions, and behavior. For example, mental health, how we behave as individuals, and certain biomarkers in our bodies can play a role. External factors like how coaches, opponents, or spectators behave can also contribute to the risk of injury.
It important to know that psychological risk factors don’t directly cause injuries, but they can make injuries more likely to happen. For instance, if someone pushes themselves too hard without enough rest, they can end up with an overuse injury due to accumulated microtrauma.
One model that helps understand this is the stress and injury model (Williams & Andersen, 1998). It suggests that things like personality, past stressful experiences, and coping resources can influence how we respond to stress (Ivarsson et al. 2017). This, in turn, affects the risk of sports injuries. There are various psychological risk factors, like feeling anxious, being in a negative mood, or taking unnecessary risks. Even social factors, such as pressure from coaches or lack of support, can contribute to injury risks.
On the other hand, protective factors are things that help reduce the risk of getting hurt while playing sports. These can be psychological, behavioral, or social strategies. Some examples are stress management programs, mental skills training, monitoring stress levels, and managing training load properly.
Ivarsson, A., Johnson, U., Andersen, M. B., Tranaeus, U., Stenling, M., & Lindwall, A. (2017). Psychosocial factors and sport injuries: Meta-analyses for prediction and prevention. Sports Medicine, 47, 353 365. Available from https:// doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0578-x.
Wiese-Bjornstal, D. M., White, A. C., Wood, K. N., & Russell, H. C. (2018). Sports medicine psychology. In T. S. Horn, & A. L. Smith (Eds.), Advances in sport and exercise psychology (4th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Williams, J. M., & Andersen, M. B. (1998). Psychosocial antecedents of sport injury: Review and critique of the stress and injury model. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 10, 5 25. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/1041320980 8406375.
