The impact of a sport psychology education intervention on physiotherapists

The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of an online sport psychology education module on the attitudes and behaviours of qualified sports physiotherapists in the UK. Ninety-five sport physiotherapists studied either a sport psychology module or a control module, and their attitudes and behaviours towards sport psychology were measured prior to studying the module and at three points over a six-month period following its completion. It was found that those who had studied the sport psychology module demonstrated an improvement in their attitudes towards sport psychology immediately following its completion that was significantly higher than those who had studied the control module. Use of sport psychology also increased following the sport psychology module, with significant differences seen between the intervention and control group on the sport psychology subscale, indicating that those who had studied the sport psychology module were integrating more sport psychology techniques into their practice than those who had studied the control module. It was concluded that the online sport psychology module was effective in improving the attitudes and behaviours of UK physiotherapists and that more sport psychology education opportunities should be made available

The impact of sport psychology education on the practice of physiotherapists

Sports injury can lead to negative psychological reactions such as frustration or depression and there is now a body of evidence which indicates that sport psychology intervention can benefit sports injury rehabilitation (Heaney, IJSEP 2006;4:67–80). It would, however, appear that physiotherapists are often not equipped to integrate sport psychology into rehabilitation. Generally research has shown that physiotherapists recognise the importance of psychological factors but lack the training to utilise sport psychology (Arvinen-Barrow et al. JSR 2007;16:111–121). This suggests a need for further training; yet limited research exists examining such training. Therefore the purpose of this investigation was to examine the impact of sport psychology education on physiotherapists. 67 physiotherapists were assigned to the intervention group who studied an online sport psychology module and 68 were assigned to the control group, who studied an equivalent module with no psychology content. A questionnaire package which included the Psychology of Injury Usage Survey (Stiller-Ostrowski et al. JAT 2009;44:482–9) and the Attitudes About Imagery Survey (Hamson-Utley et al. JAT 2008;43:258–264) was completed by the participants at four points: immediately before, immediately after, 3 months and 6 months after completing the module. Data were collected on areas such as attitudes towards sport psychology, use of sport psychology and referral. Studying the module appeared to have a positive impact on the physiotherapists. Both attitudes towards and use of sport psychology improved following completion of the module. Importantly, use of sport psychology strategies was maintained during the 6 months following the completion of the module indicating a positive longitudinal effect. The findings of this study would suggest that sport psychology CPD courses should be more widely available to practicing physiotherapists

Is there a link between previous exposure to sport injury psychology education and UK sport injury rehabilitation professionals' attitudes and behaviour towards sport psychology?

Objectives: The use of sport psychology strategies during sport injury rehabilitation can lead to several positive outcomes such as improved adherence and self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to compare the sport psychology related attitudes and behaviours of UK sport injury rehabilitation professionals (SIRPs) who had studied the psychological aspects of sport injury to those who had not. Participants and design: Ninety-four SIRPs (54 physiotherapists and 40 sports therapists with a mean of 9.22 years' experience of working in sport) completed an online survey and were grouped according to their level of previous exposure to sport injury psychology education at an undergraduate/postgraduate level. Analyses were undertaken to establish whether there were any differences in sport psychology related attitude (MANOVA), usage (MANOVA), and referral behaviours (chi square) between the groups. Results: The MANOVA and chi square tests conducted revealed that those who had studied the psychological aspects of sport injury reported using significantly more sport psychology in their practice and making more referrals to sport psychologists. Conclusions: It was concluded that sport injury psychology education appears to be effective in increasing the sport psychology related behaviours (use of sport psychology and referral) of SIRPs and should be integrated into professional training

An Exploratory Investigation of Baseball Coaches\u27 Attitudes and Experiences With Sport Psychology

This study examined baseball coaches\u27 attitudes and experiences with sport psychology. The researcher used a descriptive and multivariate approach to explore baseball coaches\u27 relationship with sport psychology professionals and sport psychology services. A modified version of the Sport Psychology Attitudes Revised Coaches -- 2 (SPARC-2) (Zakrajsek, 2011) was administered to survey coaches\u27 stigma tolerance towards sport psychology, confidence in sport psychology consultation, openness to hiring a sport psychology professional, and cultural preference towards sport psychology practitioners. Additional survey items were included to address coaches\u27 experiences with sport psychology. All 2013 members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and all 2012-2013 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, II, and III head baseball coaches were asked to participate. Participants completed an online survey to investigate the above-mentioned factors and the relationships between variables such as coach\u27s age, years coaching, education level, and primary job responsibility, with coaches\u27 attitudes and experience with sport psychology. Descriptive analyses revealed that the majority of baseball coaches had some prior exposure to sport psychology, generally had positive attitudes towards sport psychology, and intended to use sport psychology services in the future. Logistic regression analyses revealed that stigma tolerance, confidence in sport psychology, and previous experience with sport psychology can help predict coaches\u27 intention to use sport psychology services. Findings from this study may benefit baseball coaches, athletes, and sport psychology professionals, and provide insight into the current place of sport psychology in baseball

Personal qualities of effective sport psychologists: a sports physician perspective

Abstract Previous literature within applied sport psychology offers little detailed discussion regarding the personal qualities of sport psychology practitioners and the impact of these qualities on practice. This paper presents an exploration of the views of sport physicians regarding the personal characteristics and qualities of applied sport psychologists deemed necessary for effective practice. Five UK-based physicians and one Head of Medical Services, working in a range of elite and professional sports, were interviewed about their experience and perceptions of working with sport psychologists. The interview transcripts were content analysed and trustworthiness criteria applied. Four key themes emerged from the data, labelled ‘Personal qualities’, ‘Relationship Building’, ‘Professionalism in Practice’, and ‘Similarities between Psychologist and Physician’. The findings within each theme offered interesting insights into the impact of personal qualities on effective sport psychology practice. This study extends the existing literature on sport psychologists’ characteristics and effectiveness and offers new insights into their personal qualities and how these interact with the practice environment. The findings supported the growing emphasis within the field on the importance of the person behind the practitioner. Suggestions are offered with reference to the need to consider how literature from counselling psychology and medical training could assist the development of practice and education and training in sport psychology

Irish athletes’ attitudes towards seeking sport psychology consultation

The aim of this study was to replicate previous research examining attitudes to sport psychology consultation conducted in the United States, Germany, and United Kingdom (Martin, Lavallee, Kellmann & Page, 2004), and New Zealand (Anderson, Hodge, Lavallee, & Martin, 2004). The study employed the Sport Psychology Attitudes-Revised (SPA-R) questionnaire (Martin, Kellman, Lavallee & Page, 2002) in order to develop an understanding of the attitudes elite Irish athletes (N=240) hold toward sport psychology and also compare these attitudes with those found in other countries. Irish athletes in this study reported a generally positive attitude toward sport psychology provision overall, and also were identified as being open to receiving sport psychology assistance, reported moderately high levels of confidence in sport psychology, and indicated the lack of accessibility and availability to these services as distinguishing factors. Comparison of results with athletes from other countries suggested that positive attitudes toward sport psychology may be based on factors not directly associated with personal experiences of sport psychology. As the provision of sport psychology increases, practitioners need to better understand athletes' attitudes toward sport psychology so they can tailor their services to best meet the needs of athletes. In order to do this, further research related to cultural and national differences is required