Type of Document	Master's Thesis
Author	Penczek, Gregory A
URN	etd-04132004-074926
Title	An Examination of the Relationship between Psychological Conditions and the Incidence of Athletic Injury
Degree	Master of Science (M.S.)
Department	Kinesiology
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Melinda Solmon Committee Chair Amelia Lee Committee Member Laura Hensley Committee Member
Keywords	stress-injury relationship mental disorder life-stress
Date of Defense	2004-04-08
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract The purpose if this investigation was to examine injury rates among college athletes with a diagnosed psychological condition/mental disorder. Participants were drawn from a pool of 440 male and female intercollegiate athletes (ages 18-26 years). All subjects with a psychological disorder were then identified (n=38) and placed in the diagnosis group. A second group was then selected, which consisted of matched pairs of athletes without a psychological diagnosis. Twelve sports were represented in the sample population with an equal number of male (n=26) and female (n=12) participants in each group. The athletic training database was examined via query to identify each athlete’s specific psychological diagnosis (or lack thereof), number of injuries, and injury severity per occurrence. Chi-square analysis revealed that subjects in the diagnosed group suffered a significantly higher frequency of total injuries than subjects in the non-diagnosed group. Further analysis of injury severity within the two groups showed that diagnosed males had a higher frequency of mild and moderate injuries than non-diagnosed males. A significant difference was also found between females in each group, with diagnosed females have a higher frequency of mild injuries. Examination of gender differences within each group revealed that diagnosed males had a higher frequency of mild and moderate injuries than females, while analysis of the non-diagnosed group showed a higher frequency of mild injuries in males, and moderate injuries in females. Further analysis of overall gender differences revealed that males had a higher frequency of mild and severe injuries when compared to females. The results of this study are consistent with previous research findings that suggest increased stress predisposes an athlete to injury. Future research should continue to examine the relationship between psychological conditions and the incidence of athletic injury.
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