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Factors influencing sport injury risk, rehabilitation outcomes, and return to sport processes have been the focus in various research disciplines (sports medicine, psychology and sociology). One discipline, with over 50 years of scholarship, is the psychology of sport injury. Despite the research in this field, there is no evidence-based consensus to inform professional practice. The aim of this original and timely consensus statement is to summarise psychological sport injury research and provide consensus recommendations for sport practitioners seeking to implement psychological principles into clinical practice. A total of seven experts with extensive experience outlined the consensus objectives and identified three psychology of sport injury sub-domains: risk, rehabilitation and return to sport. The researchers, grouped in pairs, prepared initial drafts of assigned sub-domains. The group met in Stockholm, and the three texts were merged into a draft and revised in an iterative process. Stress responses are the strongest psychological risk factor for acute injuries. Intra- and interpersonal factors, as well as sociocultural factors, are demonstrated psychosocial risk factors for overuse injuries. Stress management and mindfulness interventions to prevent injuries have been successfully implemented. The rehabilitation process may influence athlete's cognitive, emotional, and behavioural responses. Social support, mindfulness, acceptance-based practices, and cognitive-behavioural based intervention programs reduce negative reactions. Return to sport includes various stages and different trajectories. Returning athletes typically experience concerns regarding competence, autonomy, and relatedness. It is recommended that athletes focus on the physical, technical, and psychological demands of their sport as they progress to increasingly intense activities. Interdisciplinary collaboration (e.g., sports medicine and psychology) would be beneficial in enhancing clinical practice and improving athlete outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has increasingly focused on the environmental features within talent and performance development settings. However, practitioner perspectives on their role in optimizing these environments are scarce. This study aimed to examine practitioner perspectives of the role of the environment, specifically, how they plan, deliver and review (p-D-R) to optimize environmental conditions for athletes. Ten sports practitioners (including managers, coaches and multidisciplinary support staff) took part in semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis and generated themes associated with Planning (Conceptualization, Planning and Meeting Athlete's Needs), Delivering (Explicit, Implicit, Support, Communication, Holistic Approach) and Reviewing (KPIs, Evaluation & Monitoring, Rolling Review, Review Process). Findings suggest that to offer the best possible experiences to participants, practitioners must have a clear view of their objectives and involve all stakeholders associated with delivery at the planning stage. Much of the delivery aspect aligned with notions of effective TDEs suggesting practitioners had a clear awareness of what works for them in their contexts. Reviewing the environment appeared to be the activity practitioners undertook the least, this may reflect the complex and dynamic nature of the environment in sports settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burden of sports injury in soccer is high, and return to sport outcomes following injury are often poor. This is compounded by a current lack of understanding surrounding the factors that may optimize psychological readiness to return to sport. Consequently, in the present study, we aim to further our understanding of these issues by examining the role of perceived social support in predicting psychological readiness to return to sport. In doing so, we extend previous research by examining whether reinjury anxiety is a mediating factor in this relationship. A sample of 150 previously injured soccer players (mean age = 25.32 y) completed measures of perceived social support, reinjury anxiety during rehabilitation, and psychological readiness to return to sport. Mediation analyses showed that reinjury anxiety partly accounted for the positive relationship between perceived social support and psychological readiness to return to sport. These findings suggest that injured soccer players with higher perceptions of social support will experience less reinjury anxiety during rehabilitation and, as a consequence, will be more psychologically ready upon return to sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The postoperative management of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is variable with favourable surgical outcomes. Yet there is no evidence on the efficacy of hydrotherapy in athletes undergoing hip arthroscopy for FAI. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role and the impact of hydrotherapy on return to sports following hip arthroscopy for symptomatic FAI. Methods: 2 cohorts of mixed level of athletes from various sports: a hydrotherapy group that followed land-based exercises in combination with hydrotherapy exercises and a control group that followed solely the same land-based exercises. Pre- and postoperative pain and hip-specific outcome scores were completed, and patient satisfaction was rated. Results: A total of 88 hip arthroscopies were included with a minimum of 2 years follow-up; the hydrotherapy group comprised of 36 hips and the control group, 52 hips. There was a significant improvement in time to return to previous performance (HR 1.91, 95% CI, 1.21–3.01; p = 0.005) in the hydrotherapy group compared with the control. The hip-specific scores and patient satisfaction were considerably improved in the hydrotherapy group. Conclusions: The analysis of our data indicates that the incorporation of hydrotherapy into postoperative rehabilitation for hip arthroscopy for FAI accelerates the return of athletes to their pre-injury performance, since recovery time decreased significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Talent Development Environments (TDEs) aim to provide the appropriate conditions for youth athletes to realise their full sporting potential. How TDEs are designed and operated is therefore of great importance for the development of elite athletes. Stakeholders are vital in this process, yet their perspectives are poorly understood. This study assessed the quality of TDEs across 5 European countries, comparing athlete, parent and coach perceptions. A total of 571 athletes (Mean age = 15.2 ± 1.5 years), 759 parents and 134 coaches were recruited from TDEs across 27 sports. Participants completed the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire-5 or adapted versions. Overall, perceptions of European TDEs were positive. Coaches reported higher perceptions of TDE quality compared to athletes and parents, athletes reported marginally higher perceptions compared to parents. Across stakeholders, Long-Term Development was highest rated, followed by Communication. Support Network was lowest rated. Stakeholder perceptions varied most for the Holistic Quality Preparation subscale, highlighting perceived differences in TDE support for rounded athlete development. From an organisational perspective, identified strengths and weaknesses provide direction to coach and parent education. Practically, TDE leaders should consider how they can refine stakeholder coordination through integrating stakeholder perceptions as valuable feedback into their environment, especially for intangible factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing awareness of the importance of the environment in academy players' development, yet limited research has investigated players' perceptions of their talent development environments (TDEs). This study focused on academy soccer players' perceptions of their TDE and compared perceptions across the English soccer academy categorization (CAT) system. A total of 136 U.K.-based male soccer players (Mage = 17.7, SD = 1.03 years) representing all four categories (1 = highest to 4 = lowest) of soccer academies aligned to professional soccer clubs completed the TDE Questionnaire-5 (TDEQ-5). The players within the CAT1 academies had significantly more positive perceptions of their support network (p =.01) and holistic quality preparation (p =.03) than their CAT3 counterparts. Across CAT2–CAT3, holistic quality preparation was the least positively perceived subscale within the TDEQ-5, suggesting the need for additional coach education in this area. Soccer academies should consider how they ensure that all areas of their service are associated with optimal TDEs by offering a well-communicated and holistic development experience for their players to enhance effective personal and player development. The findings may have implications for player experience and associated progression rates of lower categorized soccer academies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are concerns surrounding the lack of players making the transition from youth to professional status within English professional soccer. Stakeholders, such as coaches, have been largely overlooked by researchers often focussing on player experiences. The authors aimed to explore soccer practitioner perceptions of the debilitating factors associated with youth-to-senior progression. Practitioners were chosen as they inform the working practices and are the cultural architects of the environment in which players operate. Interviews were conducted with 18 soccer practitioners (male = 17 and female = 1). These included coaches (n = 6), academy managers (n = 8), and staff involved with education and welfare (n = 4). The data were thematically analysed, and four themes were identified (cultural climate, working practices, occupational hazards, and social challenges). The analysis provided a clear picture of the transition landscape faced by players seeking to make the youth-to-senior transition through the eyes of soccer practitioners. The findings present a novel viewpoint to facilitate reflection around their own practice when managing youth-to-senior transitions. Further research is needed to triangulate player experiences and operational aspects of facilitating transitions, which could lead to the creation of best practice guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored UK female football players' perceptions of their talent development environments using the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire. Participants were 137 UK-based female football players (Mage = 16.06, SD = 1.90) from Football Association Girls' Centres of Excellence and Football Association Women's Super League Development Squads. Players had most positive perceptions of long-term development focus and support network, whereas the least positive perceptions were of communication and understanding the athlete. Sport psychologists could offer significant support in (a) planning for football-specific development and career progression, (b) communication with key social agents, and (c) holistic player development and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:High-risk sports participants have typically been viewed as a homogeneous group despite variability in performance characteristics and the level of risk undertaken. Prolonged engagement high-risk sports such as winter climbing are relatively underserved within current literature. Elite winter climbers attempt climbs that are outside the scope of the current “known”, i.e. unclimbed routes. The majority of the current understanding of motivation in high-risk sports is based on quantitative research and the methodologies and instruments used. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of elite winter climbers and gain a richer understanding of their motivational orientation and risk-taking behaviour.Design:Qualitative–inductive.Method:Four elite male winter climbers (aged 42–49 years old) took part in semi-structured interviews and explore their motivational orientation and risk-taking behaviour. A thematic analysis was used.Results:Two superordinate themes of enactive mastery and engendered disinhibition emerged from the data. Enactive mastery was interpreted as a composite of two higher-order themes: Task mastery and self-mastery. Engendered disinhibition was interpreted as a composite of two higher-order themes: Social cognitive appraisal and self-perception.Conclusion:Enactive mastery and engendered disinhibition emerged as key behavioural and psychological determinants that influenced individuals to attempt more difficult and riskier forms of winter climbing. Goal achievement was their primary motive which was set within a confidence frame encapsulated within these superordinate themes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prime focus of research on sports injury has been on physical factors. This is despite our understanding that when an athlete sustains an injury it has psychosocial as well as physical impacts. Psychosocial factors have been suggested as prognostic influences on the outcomes of rehabilitation. The aim of this work was to address the question: are psychosocial factors associated with sports injury rehabilitation outcomes in competitive athletes?Study Design: Mixed studies systematic review (PROSPERO reg.CRD42014008667).Method: Electronic database and bibliographic searching was undertaken from the earliest entry until 1 June 2015. Studies that included injured competitive athletes, psychosocial factors and a sports injury rehabilitation outcome were reviewed by the authors. A quality appraisal of the studies was undertaken to establish the risk of reporting bias.Results: 25 studies were evaluated that included 942 injured competitive athletes were appraised and synthesised. Twenty studies had not been included in previous reviews. The mean methodological quality of the studies was 59% (moderate risk of reporting bias). Convergent thematic analysis uncovered three core themes across the studies: (1) emotion associated with rehabilitation outcomes; (2) cognitions associated with rehabilitation outcomes; and (3) behaviours associated with rehabilitation outcomes. Injury and performance-related fears, anxiety and confidence were associated with rehabilitation outcomes. There is gender-related, age-related and injury-related bias in the reviewed literature.Conclusions: Psychosocial factors were associated with a range of sports injury rehabilitation outcomes. Practitioners need to recognise that an injured athlete's thoughts, feelings and actions may influence the outcome of rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To advance the literature on talent development within elite female athletes, this study investigated the developmental experiences of elite youth female soccer players. We adopted an interpretive approach where four players (Mage = 16.75) were initially interviewed to gain a retrospective understanding of their development as soccer players. Subsequent fieldwork and further interviews were used to gain a current and prospective understanding of their development as players. Data were subjected to an inductive analysis, composite sequence analysis and a collaborative member checking process to co-construct a sequential, developmental understanding of the players' experiences within elite youth soccer. The findings suggested that the soccer experience of fathers and/or older brothers played a significant role in the players' development. Soccer fathers were able to provide advice and guidance specific to the needs of their daughter-player at different age ranges whilst at the same time reinforcing the importance of coach–player relationships. Soccer brothers acted as either positive or negative models for their sister-players and served as a source of information about key career choices. Friends inside (termed as soccer friends) and outside (termed as non-soccer friends) soccer played a significant role in helping players to lead the disciplined lifestyle required of an elite youth soccer player. Finally, findings suggest that self-regulation and adaptive volitional behaviours appear to be key intra-individual factors associated with talent development in female soccer. These findings are considered in the light of previous talent development literature alongside directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To systematically review studies examining the role of psychological interventions in injury prevention. The primary research question was: What is the real-world effectiveness of psychological intervention in preventing sports injuries?Design: Mixed methods systematic review with best evidence synthesis.Data Sources: CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, Science Direct and PubMed.Eligibility Criteria For Selecting Studies: Randomised controlled trials (RCT), non-RCTs that included a comparison group, before and after study designs and qualitative methods. Studies were required to outline specific unimodal or multimodal psychological interventions used in relation to injury prevention in the real-world setting.Outcome Measure: Studies were independently appraised with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.Results: Thirteen papers (incorporating 14 studies) met the eligibility criteria, of which 93% (13/14) reported a decrease in injury rates (effect size range=0.2-1.21). There was an overall moderate risk of bias in reporting (52%). There is a dominance of stress management-based interventions in literature due to the prominence of the model of stress and athletic injury within the area.Summary/conclusions: Psychological interventions demonstrate small (0.2) to large (1.21) effects on sports injury rates. The research area demonstrates a cumulative moderate risk in reporting bias (52%).Prospero Registration Number: CRD42016035879. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]