title: Self-reported psychological characteristics as risk factors for injuries in female youth football.
abstract: Identifying and understanding injury risk factors are necessary to target the injury-prone athlete and develop injury prevention measurements. The influence of psychological factors on injuries in football is poorly documented. The purpose of this 8-month prospective cohort study therefore was to examine whether psychological player characteristics assessed by a self-administered questionnaire represent risk factors for injury. At baseline, female football players (14-16 years) were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire covering player history, previous injuries, perception of success and motivational climate, life stress, anxiety and coping strategies. During the 2005 season, a total of 1430 players were followed up to record injuries. A history of a previous injury [odds ratio (OR)=1.9 (1.4; 2.5), P<0.001] increased the risk of a new injury to the same region. There were significant differences in disfavor for previously injured compared with non-injured players for ego orientation (P=0.007), perception of a performance climate (P=0.003) and experienced stressful life events (P<0.001). However, only high life stress (P=0.001) and perception of a mastery climate (P=0.03) were significant risk factors for new injuries. In conclusion, a perceived mastery climate and a high level of life stress were significant predictors for new injuries in a cohort of young female football players.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway. kathrin.steffen@nih.no
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Steffen
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pensgaard
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bahr
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005538:Football; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D010551:Personality; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires