Exploring Female University Athlete Experiences of Coping With Protracted Concussion Symptoms

in The Sport Psychologist

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Rebecca M. Steins Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

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Gordon Bloom Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

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Jeffrey Caron School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation, Montreal, QC, Canada

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2021-0045
Keywords:
psychology of injury; qualitative methods; sport-related concussion
First Published Online:
12 Oct 2021
In Print:
Volume 36: Issue 1
Page Range:
10–19
Restricted access

Concussions result in a multitude of somatic, cognitive, and/or emotional symptoms as well as physical and behavior changes and disturbances in balance, cognition, and sleep. Moreover, some concussed athletes can experience these symptoms, changes, and disturbances for extended periods of time. This qualitative study explored the coping skills used by five female university athletes who suffered persistent concussion symptoms for more than 6 weeks. Our analysis of the interview data indicated that the athletes used emotion-focused coping strategies, such as avoidance and acceptance, throughout their recovery. In addition, the lack of perceived control over their injuries, a lack of a symptom-specific treatment protocol, and the type of social support they received influenced their coping abilities. These results add to the limited, yet growing, body of literature on the psychology of sport-related concussions, particularly with respect to identifying the types of resources that athletes may use to cope and manage concussion symptoms.

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