Psychology of Injury Flashcards
7 cards from real ATC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Psychology of Injury flashcards as text
Which factor is MOST strongly associated with an athlete's successful psychological return to sport after ACL reconstruction?
Answer: High return-to-sport self-efficacy and low fear of re-injury
Psychological readiness—specifically high confidence and low fear of re-injury—is one of the strongest predictors of successful and lasting return to sport.
An AT notices an athlete has lost significant weight, is exercising through pain, and denies any problems when asked. The AT should FIRST:
Answer: Document observations and consult with team physician and mental health staff
Observable signs of disordered eating or overtraining warrant documentation and a multidisciplinary consultation rather than dismissal or unilateral action.
Pain catastrophizing in injured athletes is BEST addressed through which intervention?
Answer: Cognitive restructuring and psychological skills training
Cognitive restructuring helps athletes identify and challenge catastrophic thoughts, replacing them with more accurate and adaptive appraisals of pain.
Which of the following BEST describes the concept of emotional contagion in a sports medicine context?
Answer: An AT's negative attitude about an athlete's prognosis influencing the athlete's recovery mindset
Emotional contagion occurs when one person's emotional state (e.g., an AT's pessimism) unconsciously influences another's mood and outlook.
The ACSI-28 (Athletic Coping Skills Inventory) is used in athletic training to assess:
Answer: Psychological coping skills relevant to sport performance and injury
The ACSI-28 measures psychological coping skills such as coping with adversity, goal setting, and concentration, which are relevant to injury rehabilitation.
Which communication strategy is MOST effective when an AT is delivering negative injury news to an athlete?
Answer: Using clear language, allowing silence, and inviting the athlete to ask questions
Effective delivery of difficult news involves plain language, pausing to allow emotional processing, and creating space for the athlete to engage with the information.
Which theoretical framework suggests that athletes' emotional responses to injury fluctuate and do not follow a fixed linear stage progression?
Answer: Wiese-Bjornstal integrated model of psychological response
Wiese-Bjornstal's integrated model describes a dynamic, non-linear process where cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses interact and change throughout recovery.