Effect of dispositional optimism before and after injury.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the direct, moderating, and indirect effects of dispositional optimism on the prediction of, and athletes' responses to, injury.


METHODS
A 2-yr longitudinal design was conducted with a baseline sample of 694 asymptomatic participants (389 men, 305 women; mean ± SD age = 19.17 ± 1.69 yr), 104 of which subsequently became injured. Logistic regression, Pearson product-moment correlations, and a bootstrapping procedure were used to analyze the data.


RESULTS
Findings revealed a significant direct effect (i.e., as optimism increased, the likelihood of injury occurrence decreased) and a nonsignificant moderating effect for optimism before injury. Significant direct and indirect effects for optimism after injury were found.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings have important implications for practitioners who have a vested interest in reducing the likelihood of injury and expediting the rate and quality of recovery from injury. Future avenues of research that include the need to embrace more objective indicators of recovery from injury are discussed.
Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK. ross.wadey@roehampton.ac.uk
Ross
R
Wadey
Lynne
L
Evans
Sheldon
S
Hanton
Rich
R
Neil
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult