Athletes¿ Perceptions of Coaches¿ Behaviors Toward Injured Athletes: an Exploratory Study

A few research studies have suggested that collegiate coaches may be important people in regard to injured athletes¿ ability to cope with the emotional stress of injury and to successfully re- enter the sport context. Given the lack of research on coaches¿ role in the athletic injury process, this book was designed to: (a) identify and describe the attitudes and behaviors that coaches exhibit towards injured athletes and to (b) determine if particular types of coaching leadership styles are related to their attitudes and behaviors towards injured athletes. Self-report questionnaires were administered to a large sample of injured and non- injured collegiate athletes to measure their perceptions of the motivational climate their coaches create and their perceptions as to how their coaches behave towards injured athletes on their team. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses revealed a strong link between the team¿s motivational climate and athletes¿ perceptions of their coaches¿ behavior towards injured athletes. This is useful for collegiate coaches and athletic trainers seeking to improve athletes¿ recovery from injury.