ATC Psychology of Injury 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which athlete is at HIGHEST psychological risk following an injury, based on pre-injury vulnerability factors?
- A veteran athlete with strong social support and prior injury experience
- A rookie athlete with high trait anxiety and history of depression (Correct answer)
- An athlete who openly expresses emotional reactions during rehabilitation
- An athlete who asks many questions about their prognosis
Correct answer: A rookie athlete with high trait anxiety and history of depression
High trait anxiety, limited coping experience, and a history of mental health issues are pre-injury factors that increase psychological risk following injury.
Question 2: Goal setting during rehabilitation is MOST effective when goals are:
- Set exclusively by the AT to maintain professional authority
- Long-term and outcome-based to maximize motivation
- Short-term, process-oriented, and collaboratively set with the athlete (Correct answer)
- Vague and flexible to reduce performance pressure
Correct answer: Short-term, process-oriented, and collaboratively set with the athlete
Short-term process goals that the athlete helps set provide attainable milestones, enhance self-efficacy, and maintain motivation throughout rehabilitation.
Question 3: An AT observes that an athlete consistently fails to attend rehabilitation sessions without explanation. This behavior MOST likely indicates:
- Overconfidence in their recovery
- Avoidance coping and possible psychological distress (Correct answer)
- Problem-focused coping strategies
- High pain tolerance
Correct answer: Avoidance coping and possible psychological distress
Repeated avoidance of rehabilitation is a behavioral indicator of poor adjustment and may signal underlying psychological distress requiring intervention.
Question 4: Which psychological construct refers to an athlete's belief in their own ability to successfully execute sport-specific tasks after injury?
- Locus of control
- Athletic identity
- Sport-confidence (Vealey)
- Return-to-sport self-efficacy (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Return-to-sport self-efficacy
Return-to-sport self-efficacy specifically measures an athlete's confidence in their ability to perform sport tasks safely after an injury.
Question 5: Which of the following describes the concept of athletic identity and its relationship to injury?
- Athletes with low athletic identity recover faster from injury
- Athletes with high athletic identity may experience greater identity loss and psychological distress when injured (Correct answer)
- Athletic identity has no significant impact on injury response
- High athletic identity protects against depression after injury
Correct answer: Athletes with high athletic identity may experience greater identity loss and psychological distress when injured
When sport is central to an athlete's self-concept, injury threatens their core identity, making them more vulnerable to depression, anxiety, and grief.
Question 6: An AT working with a team should promote which type of motivational climate to best support injured athletes' psychological well-being?
- Ego-involving climate focused on outperforming teammates
- Mastery-involving climate focused on personal improvement (Correct answer)
- Outcome-focused climate emphasizing win-loss records
- Social comparison climate highlighting top performers
Correct answer: Mastery-involving climate focused on personal improvement
A mastery climate emphasizes personal growth and effort over comparison, which supports intrinsic motivation and psychological safety during rehabilitation.
Question 7: Which statement BEST describes the role of an athletic trainer regarding mental health referrals?
- ATs should provide therapy to athletes to avoid disrupting the athlete-AT relationship
- ATs are qualified to diagnose anxiety and depression and treat them within scope
- ATs should recognize psychological distress signs and refer to qualified mental health professionals (Correct answer)
- ATs should avoid discussing mental health to prevent stigmatizing athletes
Correct answer: ATs should recognize psychological distress signs and refer to qualified mental health professionals
Athletic trainers are trained to recognize signs of psychological distress and facilitate referrals, but diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders fall outside their scope of practice.
ATC Psychology of Injury 4
Which athlete is at HIGHEST psychological risk following an injury, based on pre-injury vulnerability factors?