Context:
Injured athletes begin the rehabilitation process with expectations about the nature of the working relationship with an athletic trainer. These expectations can infuence the effectiveness of the assistance provided.
Objective:
To determine whether male and female athletes differed in terms of expectations about injury rehabilitation services with an athletic trainer.
Design:
A questionnaire was administered to student athletes that assessed expectations about injury rehabilitation. Setting: Five colleges and universities.
Patients or Other Participants:
Questionnaire responses were provided by 679 student athletes (443 males and 236 females).
Main Outcome Measure:
Responses to the Expectations about Athletic Training questionnaire were used to assess factors identifed as Personal Commitment, Facilitative Conditions, Athletic Trainer Expertise, and Realism.
Results:
A statistically signifcant interaction between gender and prior experience was identifed. Male athletes with no prior experience had lower expectations for a facilitative environment. Female athletes with prior experience were less likely to have realistic expectations.
Conclusions:
Gender and prior experience infuence athletes’ expectations of injury rehabilitation with an athletic trainer.