Social Support: Social support is defined by the perception and actuality that one is cared for, has assistance available from other people, and that one is part of a supportive social network. Because an injury can be devastating to an athlete, social support can be crucial in helping them cope more effectively with their injury. Social support from family and friends can be one of the most effective types. In their study, Petrie, Deiters, and Harmison found that athletes who received low level of social support from family members tend to miss more days due to their injury (Petrei, Deiters, and Harmison. 2014. 20). When athletes perceive high levels of social support from friends and family members, it can relieve stress. This is because the athlete is provided with emotional support, such as listening and being challenged, which in turn helps them with their coping abilities of anxiety and may even be able to prevent it (Malinauskas. 2010. 742). If the athlete feels like they are not cared for and are unconnected with those closest to them, it can leave them feeling helpless and alone. One athlete stated that because of her injury, her family no longer had a reason to visit her university and in turn, made communication hard with her father because her athletic career had connected them (Heird & Steinfeldt. 2011. 148). This proves that social support from family and friends can help the athlete to manage their injuries in a more positive way. …show more content…
If their teammates ignore them, injured athletes are more susceptible to ignore or hide their future injuries just to remain in good social standings with the team (Roderick. 2006. 89). This shows the negative effects of what the lack of social support from teammates can produce. The poor social support from teammates could eventually lead to more stress for the athlete and life dissatisfaction (Malinauskas. 2010.
The sports industry would not have expanded for those helping hands that help our athletes today get better.¨Sports medicine Doctors/Physicians may specialize in the diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of injuries that have occurred”. After being injured it’s important he/she exercise.” Exercise physiology is the discipline that deals with the functioning of the human body and how it responds to exercise” (Moe). If it was not for those that have a passion for helping those that may be injured the sports field would not be
Athletes in times of difficulty can be important role models.” This shows that sports are in fact helpful because they can grow children into being important role models for the rest of society. Studies have shown time and time again that playing sports can be beneficial to children and we also believe this to be true. Many people still think that sports cause “too many injuries”, or coaches “are not fair enough”, but adolescents will experience these things all throughout their lives because injury can happen anywhere and they will not always be the best at what they are doing. Sports are beneficial to the youth because they can teach children and teens important life skills, help them maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle, all while improving their mental health.
One crowd was made up of middle-aged college graduates who played division one sports. The supplemented group comprised of middle-aged college graduates who did not participate in sports. The study showed they were in much poorer physical condition, and agonized from a number of things including depression, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. Non-athletes portrayed much less signs of wear and tear. The fact that they do not get paid is only part of the problem.
Athletic Trainers play a crucial part in today’s professional sports. They also help on lower levels of sports in high school, and college level teams. The job of an athletic trainer is simple yet very important, they are charged with treating, and preventing injuries. A trainer does this by developing therapies to reduce pain, and improve mobility (“Athletic Trainer Salaries”). They have to stand for long periods of time, work well with athletes of different sizes, move or carry equipment around, good mobility and communication skills to give instructions (“Athletic Trainer, Healthcare Program”). These trainers serve as a crucial part of an athlete getting back into their sport. Athletic trainers usually work under the direction of a physician, so they are like the Doctor’s healing hands in action.
However, what this argument does not take into account is that athletes have an abundance of pressure put on them that most non-athletes don’t ever experience. Hence, the saying, “go hard or go home”. A recent study emphasizes this fact as McClatchy notes, ”The researchers monitored mood levels of 465 collegiate athletes over three years and found 6.3 percent of the athletes met the criteria for clinically significant depression and 24 percent were considered ‘clinically relevant’ “ (2016). Studies like these prove that athletes are not blind to the idea of depression, but rather experience this disorder themselves. Anxiety has a huge role in depression. As sportsperson, there is constant effort to become an awe-inspiring player. As the stakes of the game raise, so does the anxiety. Some want a scholarship, some want to show off what they offer to a team that got a scholarship, and some are professionals. Regardless of whether it's grade school sport or a professional sport, failing at personal goals one set is down right depressing. Kearns and Hwang state that, ”While it’s not clear whether the source of challenges to a student-athlete's mental well-being is the same as those non-athletes, collegiate athletes are known to encounter unique stressor that the general population doesn’t have to deal with, such as the demands, relationships with coaches and missed scheduled classes” (2014). Pressure is something everyone experiences. However, athletes experience some of the same pressure that of non-athletes and then some. Being on a sports team is demanding to time and the idea of being “superior”. In athletics, coaches are everything. For example, If a coach likes how a person attributes as a team player, then that person will get a chance to shine. However, if the coach is not very fond of one, then the chances of opportunities are not very
People have created a hectic and busy world, that includes careers and daily activities that require physical activity. While attempting to attain the required physical conditioning, people often take chances with their personal health as they try to stretch their physical limits. Sometimes, people can surpass their current limits and form new boundaries; however, other times people are not so fortunate. These unfortunate times often lead to injury, including workplace accidents, sporting incidents, disease afflictions, as well as others; any or all of which could bring about the need of rehabilitation services. Many of these require physical therapy, which includes assisting injured or otherwise impaired patients as they recover to their pre-injury status or to recover as much as is physically possible. The field of physical therapy is a choice career for those who enjoy helping people recover from injury, and the following text will provide reason for choosing this profession.
Due to the nature of sport, athletes will always be faced with the possibility of becoming injured. Empirical research has demonstrated that injury has a psychological impact on athletes (Quinn & Fallon, 1999). Indeed, sports practitioners often witness negative psychological impacts such as depression and in extreme cases suicidal tendencies in the injured athlete (Jevon & Johnston, 2003). Injuries have a dramatic impact upon an athlete’s life (Deutsch, 1985), Crossman (1997) interviewed athletic trainers and established that 47% of respondents believed that every injured athlete suffered psychological trauma. Walker, Thatcher and Lavallee (2007), explain there is a need to advance current knowledge of the way injured athletes psychologically respond, with deeper understanding it would be possible to aid rehabilitation professionals and help the athlete cope better psychologically. Psychological issues have an important role in the athletes ability to recover from injury (Arvinen-Barrow, Penny, Hemmings, & Corr, 2010), understanding how an athlete responds will have multiple practical implications. Ford and Gordon (1997) suggest that if an athlete experiences negative emotions then it will lead to non-complinace of the rehabilitation process. In order to understand athletes psychological responses to injury several frameworks have been suggested. These include the: integrated model of response to sports injury and rehabilitation (Wiese-Bjornstal, Smith, Shaffer, & Morrey, 1998), the Bio-Psychosocial model of sport injury rehabilitation (Brewer, Andersen, & Van Raalte, 2002), the staged-based grief response models (Kubler-Ross, 1969) and the stage model of the return to sport (Taylor & Taylor, 1997).
The age of overwhelming strength and stamina governing sports is over, and the age of the mentally tough athlete has arrived. Athletes are no longer the superficial jocks and robots programmed to accomplish one goal, victory. Modern athletes ranging from the high school to professional levels are faced with many pressures and temptations, normally outside the realm of their sport. These pressures can inhibit an athlete’s performance substantially; therefore, the pressures need to be dealt with by psychologists. The effectiveness of sports psychology is demonstrated through the fields many theories, applications, and variety of techniques and procedures.
During that duration of time, the idea of waiting and not performing can sometimes cause an athlete to feel angry, to be in denial, and grief about it. According to Arlene and Brownell, Ph.D. professors) define social support as “an exchange of resources between at least two or more individuals perceived by the provider or the recipient to be intended to enhance the well-being of the recipient”. Close relatives such as family members, team members, and coaches can have a significant impact on the athlete who is injured. In most cases, the athletic trainer is the primary source of social support simply because they are there in the process of injury recovery.
The values of sports can influence the way people view themselves and others. Being part of a team creates a bond between teammates that can last a lifetime. Also, enduring the criticism of the coaches distills proper direction and discipline that you would likely not learn off the field. In “The Real New York Giants”, the author, Rick Reilly, writes about how a football team of firefighters lost many teammates and friends due to the attacks on September 11th, 2001 on the Twin Towers, and how the bonds and closeness of that group helped them to keep playing football and honor their fallen friends whom they became so close with through the sport (**insert beginning pg #). While in this certain circumstance, the importance of sports does not affect the performance of the players in their everyday life, there are instances where the sports overtake other aspects of life and could become dangerous for the player.
...ompetition environment. There is increasing recognition by the sports community that supporting athlete mental health is a vital aspect of competitive performance, and is as integral to success as the athlete’s physical abilities. The profession of sports psychology provides a very meaningful contribution to help facilitate athlete wellbeing and maximize the psychological skills required to compete at the highest level of competition.
These are your overall health and wellness, your pain and energy levels, and social relationships. One of the major lifestyle changes that can take place and have a great effect on your quality of life are the social relations that you make and the social support that you have. Social support is one of the most important types of social influences in exercise. Social support is the comfort, assistance, and caring information a person receives from others. There have been numerous studies done on how social support improves exercise and influences more people to be active. As a person received more emotional support the more likely it was for them to adhere to an exercise program. Whether it is family support, physician, instructors, or even other exercisers in the group providing the support, it helps influence a person to continue to exercise. Without that support a person might give up on exercising a day into the program. All of this support from different people helps build a positive felling about exercise to the participant. Once that is done a person can continue to exercise and improve their quality of life to the best of their
During the semester, I learned a lot on how to deal with psychological distress and how as an athletic trainer I should deal with athletes to overcome their situation and be there for them. Throughout my time as an athletic training student, I always liked to observe my preceptors on how they deal with athletics that are having psychological distress after injuries, and how as an athletic trainer I should handle these situations in a professional manner. There is one situation in particular that occurred during the King’s College football season that I would like to discuss.
Participating in a team sport can increase one’s self esteem. By being part of a team, you will give and receive praise. Receiving recognition from a team mate or a coach will boost your self esteem because you have been acknowledged for your efforts. As you are praised for your efforts, you will become more confident, thus improving your self esteem. Often times, the bond formed between team mates on the field translates into a friendship off the field. As team mates come to depend on each other and know that they are depended on, their level of commitment or responsibility to the game and skills needed for the game increases.