Psychosocial factors in sports injury rehabilitation.

The psychology of sports injury rehabilitation is a relatively new field, even in comparison with the relatively youthful disciplines from which it has evolved. Although the psychology of sports injury has made a significant impact on the sports medicine team, the practical aspects of how and when to refer patients to psychologists need to be better understood. A recent survey of 20 sports medicine physicians indicated a high degree of psychological or behavioral concerns occurring in conjunction with sport injuries, and an increased interest in the services of clinical sports psychologists. An appreciation of mind-body interactions and how they function regarding stress, sports performance, and injury is fundamental to the acceptance of psychological techniques in the medical arena. Teaching these fundamental issues to those in sports and medicine is essential. Furthermore, the psychology of sports injury needs continuing development of a base of theory, empirical research, and clinical practice that is sensitive to the needs of the individual athlete. Research on the assessment of psychosocial factors influencing sports injury and performance, as well as the efficacy of treatment modalities, is warranted. The psychology of sports injury has emerged from several previously established areas of psychology including behavioral medicine, rehabilitation, and sport psychology. As the techniques derived from these arenas are modified to suit the special needs of injured athletes, a set of principles and practices can be-established to better assist the sports medicine team in rehabilitation and prevention of sports injury.

Sexual arousal to erotic and aggressive stimuli in sexually coercive and noncoercive men.

Sexual arousal to erotic stimuli depicting various levels of force were examined among college men. Study 1 used phallometric indices to measure penile circumferential change during combined audio-tape and slide presentations varying in degree of force. The results indicated that the sexually coercive group exhibited more penile tumescence than controls to scenes involving verbal pressure and verbal threats. Analyses across time blocks suggested that control participants inhibited sexual arousal with the introduction of force cues but that the sexually coercive group did not. Study 2 was a replication of Study 1 without slides. Both groups showed increases in penile tumescence in response to the consent scenario. Only the sexually coercive men demonstrated significant tumescence in response to force scenarios. The results indicated that the sexually coercive males had a lower threshold for arousal to sexual cues and did not inhibit sexual arousal when force cues were introduced.

Is homophobia associated with homosexual arousal?

The authors investigated the role of homosexual arousal in exclusively heterosexual men who admitted negative affect toward homosexual individuals. Participants consisted of a group of homophobic men (n = 35) and a group of nonhomophobic men (n = 29); they were assigned to groups on the basis of their scores on the Index of Homophobia (W. W. Hudson & W. A. Ricketts, 1980). The men were exposed to sexually explicit erotic stimuli consisting of heterosexual, male homosexual, and lesbian videotapes, and changes in penile circumference were monitored. They also completed an Aggression Questionnaire (A. H. Buss & M. Perry, 1992). Both groups exhibited increases in penile circumference to the heterosexual and female homosexual videos. Only the homophobic men showed an increase in penile erection to male homosexual stimuli. The groups did not differ in aggression. Homophobia is apparently associated with homosexual arousal that the homophobic individual is either unaware of or denies.