“Support is What Really Helped Me Get Through”: Understanding Athletes’ Online Disclosures about Pursuit and Receipt of Social Support During Concussion Recovery
This research examines the role of social support in athletes’ lived experiences with concussion injuries. Fifty-eight blog posts authored by athletes documenting their concussion injuries were analyzed to determine the types of support athletes sought and received while rehabilitating from a concussion. A deductive approach guided by Xu and Burleson’s (2001) social support typology guided analysis of the blog posts. Results indicated that to varying degrees, athletes sought and received emotional, informational, network, esteem, and tangible support. Analysis revealed that athletes experience support deficits with esteem and emotional support, while they appear to have network support needs met. The results enhance understanding of athletes’ lived experiences with concussion symptoms and their support needs as they recovered from this injury. The results also illustrate the types of support that parents, friends, teachers, teammates, coaches, and others can enact to better support athletes through concussion management
