Kinesiology, Vol. 49. No. 1., 2017.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.26582/k.49.1.5
Psychological aspects of sports injuries among male professional soccer players in croatia
Tomislav Madžar
; University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Center for Sports Medicine and Promotion Health at Work, Zagreb, Croatia
Milan Milošević
; University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Center for Sports Medicine and Promotion Health at Work, Andrija Stampar School of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia
Pero Hrabač
; University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, Zagreb, Croatia
Neven Heningsberg
; University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess occurrence of sports injuries among professional male soccer players in relation to their psychological characteristics. This prospective cohort study was conducted during the 2013/2014 sports season among all professional players with the first team contract in the first Croatian soccer league. A stratified sample of 182 male soccer players were selected for the assessment. They were surveyed during their preparation period before the beginning of the season and were under monitoring during the season. Seriousness of injuries was assessed depending on the length (one day or more) of players’ non-participation in sports activities. Psychological characteristics were assessed by the General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), Revised Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, impulsive behaviour scale from the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire Cross-Cultural 50-item version
and Psychological Skills Inventory for Sports. Majority of players (62.6%) experienced a kind of injury, with the mean number of 1.28 injuries per player, and 30.7% of them contracted severe injuries. Results of the binary regression model suggest that likelihood of being injured is mostly influenced by higher Impulsive Sensation Seeking and GAD-7 scores (OR=1.26 in both cases). In contrast, adequate mental preparation significantly lowers the chance of being injured (OR=0.89).The study adds an insight into proportions, severity, mechanisms and number of sport injuries in the population of Croatian professional soccer players. We propose several variables as important predictors of future injuries. Some scales, commonly used in this field, have been shown to be less useful in injury prediction.
Keywords
psychological characteristics; mental preparation; sports injuries; professional soccer players
Hrčak ID:
179316
URI
Publication date:
2.5.2017.
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