Title: Psychosocial Factors Associated with Athlete Adaptation to Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review
Name: Derek Zike
Primary Presenters: Derek Zike
College of Health Sciences
Research Doctorate (PhD)
Faculty Sponsor(s): Monna Arvinen-Barrow
Spinal cord injury (SCI) resulting in acquired disability elicits a wide range of physical, psychological, and social consequences. Thus far, existing published reviews have focused on the role of psychosocial factors in (a) adjustment to SCI (Peter et al., 2012; North, 1999), (b) overall health (Galvin & Godfrey, 2001; Müller et al., 2012), (c) quality of life (Chevalier et al., 2009; van Leeuwen et al., 2012), and (d) subjective well-being (Post & van Leeuwen, 2012) among individuals living with SCI. Although SCI incurred in sport plays a substantial role in SCI etiology (Lee et al., 2014), thus far, no comprehensive review of the psychosocial factors involved in adaptation to SCI among injured athletes exists. This presentation reviews existing research on psychosocial factors associated with athletes’ adaptation to SCI. A systematic review was conducted in March 2020. CINAHL, MEDLINE (Pubmed), PsychINFO, PsycARTICLES, and SPORTDiscus databases were used and studies published since 2000 were considered for inclusion. Publications were identified according to predetermined eligibility criteria, and a total of 16 publications were included in the review. The results identified many psychosocial factors associated with adaptation to SCI. The most prominent psychosocial factors were identity, the lived body, sport involvement, social support, and cultural narratives. The findings provide further contextualization to the understanding of athlete response to SCI, highlighting limitations of current psychology of sport injury and sport career transition models in explaining athlete adaption to SCI. The findings may also benefit future research in this field, highlighting the need for innovative methodologies, diverse perspectives, and sampling. Practitioners should also (a) recognize the importance of being aware of the narratives framing and constraining athletes’ rehabilitation experience, and (b) benefits of introducing athletes with SCI to alternative narratives, connecting them with appropriate socializing agents, and social support.
https://sites.uwm.edu/healthresearchsymposium/files/formidable/2/References-Zike.pdf