Associations of Pain Vigilance and Past and Current Pain with Kinesiophobia after Sport Injury in Current and Former Athletes from Iran and the United States

High levels of kinesiophobia (fear of movement/reinjury) have been related to reinjury and adverse injury rehabilitation outcomes in athletes. To examine the extent to which pain vigilance, memory of injury-related pain, and current injury-related pain were associated with kinesiophobia, a cross-sectional study was conducted with 172 current and former athletes from Iran (n = 113) and the United States (n = 59) who reported having experienced a serious injury that affected their participation or performance in sport. Questionnaires were administered to participants via an online survey platform. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that pain vigilance and memory of pain were positively associated with kinesiophobia, with the full model accounting for 31% of the variance in kinesiophobia scores. The findings suggest that excessive attention to pain-related stimuli and memory of pain for an injury that occurred an average of four years earlier may contribute to the experience of fear of movement and reinjury in current and former athletes.

Intention for Warm-Up among Children and Adolescents Scale: Development and Initial Validation

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Intention for Warm-up among Children and Adolescents Scale (IWCAS). There were four phases and four sets of participants in the development of the IWCAS. In the first phase, the domains of intention were defined, and related components were developed, organized, and validated. In the second phase, 446 elementary and middle school students participated in a pilot study for the first version of the scale, which was revised based on the information obtained. In the third phase, 12 graduates in sports pedagogy served on an expert panel and organized the items into domain areas and developed a second version of the IWCAS. In the final phase, 1322 elementary and middle school students from three k-12 schools completed the revised version of the IWCAS, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Based on the results, the IWCAS was shortened by deleting some items in two domains; this resulted in 11 items of the final version with 3 domains: (1) attitude toward warm-up, (2) subjective norm, and (3) perceived behavioral control that, according to the indices, generate reliable and structurally valid scores. The composite internal consistency for the three domains ranged from 0.74 to 0.85. The researchers hypothesized the IWCAS is a valid and reliable scale, which can be used by P.E. teachers or coaches to evaluate the intention of primary and secondary school students to perform warm-ups.

Correspondence and Concordance of Retrospective and Concurrent Responses to Physiotherapists and Sport Psychology Questionnaire Items

Orthopedic and sport-related injuries are a major public health concern and a common reason for referral to physical therapy. The use of psychological techniques by physical therapists has been assessed in research studies primarily with retrospective self-report questionnaires that have not been validated against concurrent assessments of the same behaviors. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which the results obtained from physical therapists’ retrospective self-reports of their use of psychological techniques reflect their use of the techniques assessed concurrently. Physical therapists (N = 14) completed the Physiotherapists and Sport Psychology Questionnaire (PSPQ) at the beginning of this study and a checklist based on the PSPQ at the end of the sessions with patients (N = 306). Patients also completed the checklist at the end of the sessions. Across 12 psychological techniques, the physical therapists’ retrospective (PSPQ) responses showed relatively weak correspondence (mean r = 0.31) and poor concordance with their concurrent (checklist) responses. Compared to the physical therapists’ checklist responses, the patients’ checklist responses showed weaker correspondence (mean r = 0.03) and better concordance with the physical therapists’ PSPQ responses. The findings suggest that retrospective self-reports may not accurately reflect the use of psychological techniques by physical therapists and, consequently, that physical therapists should consider documenting their use of psychological techniques as close to their implementation as possible. Suggestions for improved assessment are provided.

An Interactive Cognitive-Behavioural Multimedia Program Favourably Affects Pain and Kinesiophobia During Rehabilitation After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery: An Effectiveness Trial

Psychological interventions have been found effective in helping athletes cope with the challenges associated with knee surgery. In this investigation, an interactive cognitive-behavioural multimedia program was evaluated as a means of delivering psychological interventions to individuals experiencing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery in a field trial with 69 ACL surgery patients (30 women and 39 men; 24 competitive athletes, 41 recreational athletes, and 4 nonathletes; M _age = 35.01, SD = 11.98 years). Results indicated that compared to participants who received standard care, participants who received the multimedia program reported greater preoperative confidence in ability to cope, lower postoperative pain and kinesiophobia, and greater use and perceived utility of patient education materials. The findings suggest that the multimedia program has promise as an economical and effective means of educating and delivering psychological interventions to people experiencing ACL surgery and rehabilitation.

Why wasn't sport included? Comment on the special issue on the science of teamwork (2018)

The special issue of the American Psychologist (May-June 2018) is devoted to the science of teamwork, with 20 articles addressing the history and foundation of teamwork research and highlighting the importance of teamwork in aviation, military, business, space exploration, academic, and health care settings. Articles that address factors influencing team performance and evaluation of interventions with teams are also included. The editors of the special issue direct attention to key areas in teamwork research that would benefit from further inquiry. That is, a call is made for research that focuses on teamwork measurement and assessment tools, explores multi-team systems, and bridges the gap between theory and practice. The special issue is a gem, likely to advance teamwork research in the years to come. Missing, however, is discussion of research related to sport teams and the sport psychology literature, although a sport team is featured on the cover of the science of teamwork special issue. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

It's about Time: Effects of Physical Exertion on Duration Estimates

BACKGROUND

Task duration is a fundamental aspect of exercise, but little is known about how completed bouts of physical activity are perceived. Consequently, the purpose of the five experiments conducted for this investigation was to examine the effects of engaging in physical tasks on retrospective duration estimates with college student participants.

METHODS

Across the five experiments, participants were 113 college students (82 women, 31 men). In Experiments 1 and 2, participants provided duration estimates of a period spent engaging in physical activity or rest. In Experiments 3, 4, and 5, participants provided duration estimates of periods spent engaged in physical tasks of high intensity and low intensity.

RESULTS

In Experiments 1, 2, and 3, participants engaged in physical activity tended to perceive durations as shorter than participants at rest. When completing less familiar tasks (Experiments 4 and 5), however, participants recalled a high intensity bout of physical activity as lasting longer than a low intensity bout of physical activity of comparable duration. Cohen's d values for physical activity effects on duration estimates ranged from 0.40 to 1.60.

CONCLUSION

The findings, which partially support a contextual-change interpretation, suggest that factors, such as perceived exertion and task familiarity, affect retrospective duration estimates.

Adversarial Growth After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Although psychological research on sport injury has long focused on negative responses to injury, investigators have begun to explore positive consequences as well. This study examined adversarial growth longitudinally after anterior cruciate ligament surgery and rehabilitation. Participants (N = 108) completed questionnaires measuring (a) aspects of adversarial growth before anterior cruciate ligament surgery and at 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery and (b) daily pain and negative mood for 42 days postoperatively. Although most participants reported little or no adversarial growth due to their injury and rehabilitation, significant increases over preoperative values were found at 6 months postsurgery for three aspects of adversarial growth. Daily pain and negative mood were positively associated with aspects of adversarial growth at each postoperative assessment. It appears that modest but detectable increases in aspects of perceived adversarial growth can occur after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and be related to indices of adversity experienced during rehabilitation.

Big Five Personality Characteristics and Adherence to Clinic-Based Rehabilitation Activities after ACL Surgery: A Prospective Analysis

PURPOSE

A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted to examine Big Five personality characteristics as predictors of adherence to clinic-based rehabilitation activities following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery.

METHOD

Participants (72 men, 36 women) completed a questionnaire assessing Big Five personality dimensions prior to surgery. For the first 7 weeks after surgery, participants' rehabilitation session attendance was recorded and rehabilitation professionals rated participants' adherence during rehabilitation sessions..

RESULTS

Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that the 5 personality factors explained 11 percent of the variance in attendance and 17 percent of the variance in adherence ratings, that agreeableness was a significant positive predictor of attendance, and that conscientiousness and openness to experience were significant positive predictors of adherence ratings.

CONCLUSION

As a potential contributor to adherence, personality warrants consideration when implementing rehabilitation programs after ACL surgery.

Predictors of adherence to home rehabilitation exercises following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

OBJECTIVE

Although home exercises are commonly prescribed following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and are considered important in obtaining successful rehabilitation outcomes, little is known about factors associated with the completion of such exercises. Consequently, this study was designed to identify predictors of adherence to home rehabilitation exercises after ACL surgery.

METHOD

Participants (33 women, 58 men) completed indices of athletic identity, neuroticism, optimism, and pessimism before ACL surgery and measures of daily pain, negative mood, stress, and home exercise completion for 42 days postoperatively.

RESULTS

Participants reported a high level of adherence to the prescribed regimen. Home exercise completion increased significantly over time as the number of sets of prescribed home exercises declined. Personal factors were not predictive of home exercise completion. Participants completed fewer home exercises on days when they experienced more stress or negative mood.

CONCLUSIONS

Day-to-day variations in negative mood and stress may contribute to adherence to prescribed home exercises.

Development and evaluation of a multimedia CD-ROM for exercise during pregnancy and postpartum

OBJECTIVE

To meet the need for an interactive product on exercise during pregnancy and postpartum, we developed and evaluated a personally tailored multimedia CD-ROM.

METHODS

Pregnant and postpartum women, who were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (PregXercise CD-ROM) or the control group (CD-ROM with neutral content), navigated through the CD-ROM for 1 h. Main outcomes were exercise self-efficacy and knowledge.

RESULTS

In analyses of covariance, compared with the control group, the experimental group had significant increases in self-efficacy and knowledge.

CONCLUSION

The multimedia CD-ROM delivering information about exercise motivation, guidelines, and prescription was effective in improving exercise self-efficacy and knowledge.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Our preliminary results illustrate that healthcare professionals and researchers may use interactive multimedia for improving exercise behavior and related outcomes with pregnant and postpartum women.

Age-Related Differences in Predictors of Adherence to Rehabilitation After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the relationships between psychological factors and rehabilitation adherence after knee surgery differ as a function of age. DESIGN AND SETTING: Participants completed inventories of self-motivation, social support, athletic identity, and psychological distress before anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. After surgery, participants recorded their completion of home rehabilitation exercises and cryotherapy, and the sport rehabilitation professionals providing their treatment reported on the patients' attendance at, and adherence during, rehabilitation sessions. SUBJECTS: Sixty-one individuals with acute ACL tears. MEASUREMENTS: The Self-Motivation Inventory, Social Support Inventory, Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, Brief Symptom Inventory, and Sport Injury Rehabilitation Adherence Scale were used to measure self-motivation, social support, athletic identity, psychological distress, and adherence, respectively, during rehabilitation sessions. RESULTS: Hierarchic regression analyses indicated that age moderated the relationships between (1) self-motivation and home exercise completion, (2) social support and home exercise completion, (3) athletic identity and home exercise completion, and (4) athletic identity and home cryotherapy completion. CONCLUSIONS: The prospective moderating relationships for between psychological factors and indices of adherence to home-based rehabilitation activities indicate the need to consider developmental issues when examining psychological aspects of sport-injury rehabilitation.

Effects of Pain on Motor Performance

The effects of experimentally induced pressure pain on the performance of a weight lifting task, a simple golf putting task, and a complex golf putting task were examined in male college students. It was found that pain did not affect performance of the weight lifting task, slightly hampered performance of the simple putting task, and severely hampered performance of the complex putting task. Because the adverse effects of pain increased with task complexity, the findings are consistent with the notion mat pain is a form of arousal and mat pain affects performance in a manner similar to arousal. Limitations of the present experiments and directions for future research are discussed.