A reversal theory analysis of psychological responses during sports injury rehabilitation.

Context: Few studies have examined psychological and emotional processes in injury rehabilitation from a longitudinal, theoretically framed perspective.
Objective: This study explored the applicability of Reversal Theory to examine these processes.
Setting: University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK.
Participants: Three severely injured athletes; two were female (karate and judo) and one was male (hockey), aged 20 to 28.
Main Outcome Measures: Fortnightly interviews after participant's initial consultation with a sports therapist, until complete physical rehabilitation.
Results: Supported the use of Reversal Theory in this context (eg, as a means of understanding the origins of athletes' emotional responses to injury and changes in these responses throughout rehabilitation).
Conclusions: Suggestions for future research are made (eg, examining the consequences of emotional and metamotivational states for athlete behavior and recovery outcomes during rehabilitation).