Athletic trainer strategies for nurturing athletes' basic psychological needs during sport injury rehabilitation.
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| Title: | Athletic trainer strategies for nurturing athletes' basic psychological needs during sport injury rehabilitation. |
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| Authors: | Bejar, Matthew (AUTHOR), Raabe, Johannes (AUTHOR), Tolentino, Kim (AUTHOR), Hagge, Kaleb (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of American College Health. Jan2026, Vol. 74 Issue 1, p51-59. 9p. |
| Subjects: | Professional autonomy, Sports injuries, Interviewing, Statistical sampling, Athletic trainers, Strategic planning, Psychological well-being, Need (Psychology), Motivation (Psychology), Thematic analysis, Students, Patient-centered care, Sports re-entry, Medical rehabilitation, Research methodology, Therapeutic alliance, Psychosocial factors, Nurturing behavior, College athletes, Professional competence |
| Abstract: | Objective: To qualitatively explore athletic trainers' (ATs') perceptions of how they support injured college athletes' basic psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Participants and methods: Thirteen U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association ATs completed semi-structured interviews. Four researchers conducted a deductive thematic analysis. Techniques (audit trail, bracketing of biases, and member checking) were utilized to enhance the study's rigor. Results: Three themes with eight sub-themes representing need-supporting strategies were constructed: (a) ATs attempted to foster injured athletes' perceived relatedness by cultivating trusting connections; (b) ATs attempted to foster injured athletes' perceived competence by engendering mastery during rehabilitation; and (c) ATs attempted to foster injured athletes' perceived autonomy by promoting ownership of their rehabilitation. Conclusions: Multiple strategies described by ATs were aligned with need-satisfying approaches discussed by athletes in previous research. The present study offers rich descriptions of techniques for facilitating optimal motivation in injured college athletes for ATs to consider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Objective: To qualitatively explore athletic trainers' (ATs') perceptions of how they support injured college athletes' basic psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Participants and methods: Thirteen U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association ATs completed semi-structured interviews. Four researchers conducted a deductive thematic analysis. Techniques (audit trail, bracketing of biases, and member checking) were utilized to enhance the study's rigor. Results: Three themes with eight sub-themes representing need-supporting strategies were constructed: (a) ATs attempted to foster injured athletes' perceived relatedness by cultivating trusting connections; (b) ATs attempted to foster injured athletes' perceived competence by engendering mastery during rehabilitation; and (c) ATs attempted to foster injured athletes' perceived autonomy by promoting ownership of their rehabilitation. Conclusions: Multiple strategies described by ATs were aligned with need-satisfying approaches discussed by athletes in previous research. The present study offers rich descriptions of techniques for facilitating optimal motivation in injured college athletes for ATs to consider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 07448481 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/07448481.2025.2484551 |
