The Congruity of Coach and Female Athlete Perceptions of Social Support during Injury Recovery: A Qualitative Exploration
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Authors
Brown, Vanessa K.
Issue Date
2011
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Social support plays an important role in helping individuals cope with stressful situations, including injury (Brewer, 2007). According to the optimal matching framework, social support is most effective when the type, amount, and frequency of support provided match the type, amount, and frequency of support desired and perceived by the recipient (Udry, 2001). Little research has examined the role that coaches play in providing social support for their injured athletes, and none has attempted to match coach and athlete perceptions of provided and perceived support. In this research, three collegiate soccer head coaches and five injured female athletes participated in semi-structured interviews. A content analysis methodology indicated that coaches and injured athletes held similar views about the definitions of social support and where that support should come from, and that situational factors impacted both the support coaches provided as well as the support the injured athletes desired. Athletes indicated that while coach support was sometimes appreciated and desired, in other instances it was not wanted; these athletes preferred support from family and teammates, as well as genuine support from previously injured athletes. Additionally, open communication between coach and injured athlete is crucial to matching provided and desired support in order to obtain the best possible outcome. Because athletes desire so many types of social support at varying times in their recovery process, a future role of sport psychology professionals lies in helping the injured athlete build awareness of what type of support she desires and how to openly communicate those desires with the correct support providers.