title: National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Certified Athletic Trainers' Perceptions of the Benefits of Sport Psychology Services.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Certified athletic trainers (ATs) are responsible for integrating relevant professionals into the rehabilitation team to assist with the holistic care of injured athletes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I (DI) ATs' experience with sport psychology consultants (SPCs), willingness to encourage athletes to use SPCs for injury rehabilitation, and perceptions of the benefits of sport psychology services.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A Web-based survey was administered to a national sample of DI ATs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 659 (341 men, 318 women) ATs completed the survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Athletic trainers' experience with SPCs, willingness to encourage athletes to seek sport psychology services, and perceptions of the benefits of those services in injury-rehabilitation settings were self-reported using a rating scale that ranged from 1 (never or not at all) to 5 (definitely or extremely).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Logistic regression revealed that the availability of SPCs, previous encouragement to athletes to seek sport psychology services, and previous positive interactions with SPCs predicted the ATs' willingness to encourage athletes to use these services (P < .0001). The services ATs rated the highest for injury rehabilitation were managing anxiety and emotion, improving coping techniques, and building confidence (ie, confidence in returning to sport and building confidence). Chi-square analyses indicated that female ATs' ratings of perceived benefits were higher (P ≤ .001) than those of male ATs, and the ratings of ATs who were likely to encourage the use of SPCs were higher (P ≤ .001) than those who were unlikely to encourage SPC service use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Athletic trainers in our study who had previous positive SPC experiences were most likely to use SPCs and their services during the injury-rehabilitation process. Possible implications are offered for how ATs interested in sport psychology services might call on SPCs to complement their work with injured athletes.
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
authors.forename: Rebecca A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Zakrajsek
authors.affiliation: University of North Texas, Denton.
authors.forename: Scott B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Wrisberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes / Q000523:psychology*; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D000066505:Help-Seeking Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011580:Psychological Techniques; D000067450:Psychology, Sports / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012938:Social Perception; D013177:Sports / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities
keywords: athletic injury; injury rehabilitation; psychological skills; sport psychology consulting