Injury Experiences in NCAA Division 1 College Sports: Self-Concept, Athletic Identity, Mood, and Culture

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether Division I college athletes experience perceived changes in their self-concept, athletic identity, and mood following a sport-related injury from a cultural lens. A total of 51 male and female collegiate athletes, 18-24 years of age, from a range of sports and cultural backgrounds, completed four retrospective, self-report measures: first as they perceived themselves before the injury and second, post-injury. Student athletes completed the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale:2 (TSCS:2), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS). Findings from the current study indicated that the Division I student athletes reported perceived declines in total self-concept, physical self-concept, moral self-concept, personal self-concept, family self-concept, social self-concept, academic self-concept, satisfaction, athletic identity, and increases in anxiety and depression symptoms from pre- to post-injury. Findings further indicated that cultural factors, such as gender identity, ethnicity, and type of sport may be related to perceived shifts in athletes' self-views from before to after sport-related injuries. Limitations, future directions, and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.