Factorial validity and measurement invariance of the Perceived Susceptibility to Sport Injury scale.

The Perceived Susceptibility to Sport Injury (PSSI) scale is a measure that has recently surfaced in the sport injury literature. The factor structure of the PSSI scale has not been subjected to a rigorous factor analysis; thus, the factorial validity of the measure in athlete populations is unknown. To establish the validity of the PSSI scale in sports medicine research, the purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure and measurement invariance across gender of the PSSI scale. Male and female intercollegiate athletes (N = 217) completed the PSSI scale during the off-season. The factor structure was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) procedures and maximum likelihood estimation. The measurement invariance analysis was conducted via comparisons of fit indices within a series of hierarchically constrained models. Results of the CFA yielded a very good fit of the measurement model: χ2 (2) = 4.535, P = 0.104; RMSEA = 0.076; SRMR = 0.018; CFI = 0.995; NNFI = 0.985. Results of the measurement invariance analysis demonstrated strict invariance across gender, and no significant latent mean differences emerged between men and women. Study results support the factorial validity of the PSSI scale for use in future sports medicine research.

Pain and negative mood during rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a daily process analysis.

Daily diary methods were used to examine changes in pain and negative mood over the first 6 weeks of rehabilitation after surgical reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Participants (58 men and 33 women) completed measures of personal factors (i.e., age, athletic identity, neuroticism, optimism) before surgery and indices of daily pain, negative mood, and stress for 42 days after surgery. Multilevel modeling revealed that, as would be expected, daily pain ratings decreased significantly over the course of the study and that the rate of decline in pain ratings decreased over time. Age and daily negative mood were positively associated with daily pain ratings. Daily negative mood also decreased significantly over the course of the study and was positively associated with neuroticism, daily pain, and daily stress. Athletic identity and optimism interacted with time since surgery in predicting daily negative mood such that participants with high levels of athletic identity and low levels of optimism reported greater decreases in daily negative mood over time. Overall, the findings reveal a pattern of improved psychological functioning over the early stages of post-operative ACL rehabilitation.

Exercising caution: social physique anxiety and protective self-presentational behaviour.

This study examined relations among body mass index (BMI), social physique anxiety (SPA) and protective self-presentational exercise behaviours in a sample of 86 female participants in aerobics classes at a university fitness centre. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing demographic and exercise-related information, the 9-item version of the Social Physique Anxiety Scale, and measures of two forms of protective self-presentational exercise behaviour (i.e., preferring to stand away from the aerobics instructor and wearing concealing exercise attire). Consistent with previous research, SPA was positively associated with both preferred exercise studio floor position (r = .31, p < .05) and clothing concealingness (r = .25, p < .05). SPA did not mediate the relations between BMI and either of the two protective self-presentational behaviours. BMI was a better predictor of clothing concealingness than SPA, but the opposite was found for exercise studio floor position preferences (r = .31 with SPA versus r = .15 with BMI). The findings provide an enhanced understanding of factors associated with self-presentation in exercise.

Sport psychology service delivery: staying ethical while keeping loose.

Although the parent discipline of sport psychology is psychology, the delivery of sport psychology services has its main roots in physical education and sports science (motor learning and control, skill acquisition). Thus, sport psychologists may look more like coaches than they look like clinicians or counselors. In this article, the authors trace the evolution of sport psychology services and contrast the temporal, spatial, and delivery issues of applied sport psychology with more mainstream counseling and clinical psychology. The looser boundaries of sport psychologist practice have both benefits and dangers, and the authors offer some examples to professional psychologists who are thinking of expanding their delivery of service to athletes and coaches.

Natural gas inflation injury of the upper extremity: a case report.

High-pressure injection injury is well known to hand surgeons. We present a case of low-pressure inflation injury to the upper extremity. Our experience with this injury, its treatment, and the eventual outcome are discussed.

The Sports Inventory for Pain: a confirmatory factor analysis.

This investigation was designed to assess the factorial validity of the Sports Inventory for Pain (SIP) which was completed by 182 undergraduate students. Responses were subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis designed to test the hypothesized underlying factor structure. Of five proposed subscales, only the items for the Cognitive and Coping subscales reasonably fit the hypothesized structure. To improve the fit of the model, factors were allowed to correlate, and the worst fitting item from each of the subscales was removed. The modified model also failed to adequately fit the data. Lastly, the items corresponding to the worst fitting subscale were dropped from the analysis. Again, the modified model failed to fit the data. Discussion suggests a possible respecification of the SIP.

Attributions for recovery and adherence to sport injury rehabilitation.

The relations of causal attributions for recovery from knee surgery to recovery rate and rehabilitation adherence were examined in a sample of 34 recreational or competitive athletes. Subjects rated their open-ended attributions for recovery on the Revised Causal Dimension Scale (McAuley, Duncan, & Russell, 1992). Subjects who perceived themselves as recovering rapidly made more stable, personally controllable, and externally controllable attributions than subjects who perceived themselves as recovering slowly. Subjects designated by their physical therapist/athletic trainer (PT/AT) as recovering rapidly tended to attribute their rehabilitation progress to more internal and personally controllable factors than subjects identified as recovering slowly. Causal dimension ratings predicted PT/AT rehabilitation adherence ratings, but not attendance at rehabilitation sessions.

Situational correlates of emotional adjustment to athletic injury.

Patients at a sports medicine clinic served as subjects in an investigation of the relationship between various situational variables and emotional adjustment to athletic injury. Physician-rated current injury status, perceived impairment of sport performance, and perceived social support for rehabilitation were significantly correlated with postinjury depression. Age was negatively associated with postinjury mood disturbance. In general, patients demonstrated a positive mental health profile. The results suggest that although most patients cope well with their injuries, some patients experience clinically meaningful psychological distress that is associated with certain situational factors.

Organizational and psychological consultation in collegiate sports medicine groups.

The complex authority, accountability, and supervisory structures of sports medicine groups in athletic departments can lead to conflicts that affect healthcare delivery for student-athletes. The authors review consultation models that counselors, sport psychologists, and other organizational consultants can use in dealing with these problems in collegiate sports medicine groups and offer examples of improved functioning through systemic, group, and individual intervention.

Self-identity and specific vulnerability to depressed mood.

Four studies were conducted to test the hypothesis that experiencing a life event that disrupts the pursuit of self-defining activities would be associated with depressed mood. Across all four studies, a strong and exclusive identification with the athlete role was related to subjects' affective response to both hypothetical and actual athletic injuries. The results highlight the importance of assessing the match between specific cognitive diatheses and specific life events in predicting depressive reactions.

Recurrent pain in college students.

The authors investigated the prevalence of recurrent pain in a college student sample. Of the 1,564 students surveyed, 467 (29%) indicated that they had experienced recurrent pain at an intensity that was mostly in the mild-to-moderate range. Students who reported having recurrent pain were significantly older and more depressed than students who did not indicate they suffered from recurrent pain. Pain intensity was positively correlated (r = .14) with depression among the students who reported having recurrent pain. Implications of the findings for future research, treatment, and health promotion efforts are discussed.

Avianca flight No. 052 accident: a plastic surgical perspective.

The crash of Avianca Airlines flight no. 052 en route to JFK Airport on January 25, 1990, in Cove Neck, New York, resulted in the death of 72 passengers. Eighty-nine victims were admitted to 13 regional hospitals. Despite difficult access to the wooded crash site, early warning and prompt response by 37 volunteer fire and rescue units resulted in organized EMS triage and rapid hospital transport. This report reviews the specific injuries incurred, highlights the team management approach to a major aviation accident in a suburban area, and studies the likelihood of accidents of this magnitude. Thirty-eight patients triaged to two level I trauma centers, North Shore University Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center and Nassau County Medical Center, form the basis of this report. Seventeen patients were male; 21 were female. The average patient age was 33 years. Eight patients were children. The average length of stay was 30.9 days (range 2 to greater than 90 days). Twenty-six patients (including nonsurvivors) (68 percent) sustained significant multiple orthopedic injuries. The majority of fractures were open grade II to III tibia-fibula fractures. Bilaterality was commonly seen. Soft-tissue coverage of open long bone fractures was required in 10 patients (11 extremities) and included 3 microvascular muscle transfers, 7 muscle transposition flaps, and 3 skin grafts. Seven patients required open reduction and fixation of complex facial fractures (two of Le Fort II to III type, four of complex naso-orbital-ethmoid type). Plastic surgical repair of complex lacerations was common. Peripheral nerve exploration was required in three patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)