ATC Psychology of Injury 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An athlete becomes tearful and states 'I'll never be the same after this injury.' Which psychological response best describes this reaction?
- Bargaining stage of grief
- Catastrophizing cognition (Correct answer)
- Malingering behavior
- Somatic anxiety
Correct answer: Catastrophizing cognition
Catastrophizing involves magnifying the perceived severity of a situation, leading to extreme negative thinking about outcomes.
Question 2: The biopsychosocial model of injury response emphasizes that recovery is influenced by:
- Biological factors only
- Psychological factors only
- Social factors only
- Biological, psychological, and social factors together (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Biological, psychological, and social factors together
The biopsychosocial model recognizes that injury recovery is shaped by the interaction of physical, mental, and social/environmental factors.
Question 3: Which cognitive appraisal theory best explains why two athletes with the same injury may have vastly different psychological responses?
- Lazarus and Folkman's stress and coping model (Correct answer)
- Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome
- Bandura's self-efficacy theory
- Kübler-Ross grief model
Correct answer: Lazarus and Folkman's stress and coping model
Lazarus and Folkman's model proposes that an individual's appraisal of a stressor—not the stressor itself—determines their emotional and coping response.
Question 4: A college soccer player avoids returning to sport despite medical clearance due to fear of re-injury. This is best described as:
- Secondary gain
- Kinesiophobia (Correct answer)
- Emotional contagion
- Denial
Correct answer: Kinesiophobia
Kinesiophobia is an excessive, debilitating fear of physical movement or activity stemming from a perception of vulnerability to re-injury.
Question 5: Which behavioral sign would MOST concern an AT regarding an athlete's psychological response to injury?
- Asking questions about the rehabilitation timeline
- Expressing frustration during a difficult exercise
- Withdrawing from teammates and refusing to attend practices (Correct answer)
- Researching the injury on sports medicine websites
Correct answer: Withdrawing from teammates and refusing to attend practices
Social withdrawal and disengagement from the team environment are significant red flags indicating poor psychological adjustment to injury.
Question 6: Which relaxation technique involves tensing and then releasing specific muscle groups to reduce overall physical tension?
- Diaphragmatic breathing
- Progressive muscle relaxation (Correct answer)
- Autogenic training
- Mindfulness meditation
Correct answer: Progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) systematically tenses and releases muscle groups to increase body awareness and reduce physical stress.
Question 7: An AT notices an athlete is using humor and staying engaged with teammates during a long rehabilitation. This coping style is BEST classified as:
- Emotion-focused coping (Correct answer)
- Avoidance coping
- Problem-focused coping
- Maladaptive coping
Correct answer: Emotion-focused coping
Using humor and social engagement to manage the emotional distress of injury is a form of emotion-focused coping.
ATC Psychology of Injury 2
An athlete becomes tearful and states 'I'll never be the same after this injury.' Which psychological response best describes this reaction?