Psychosocial antecedents of sport injury: Review and critique of the stress and injury model'

Abstract

To counter the narrow scope and atheoretical nature of early research, Andersen and Williams (1988) developed a multi-component theoretical model of stress and injury. The model proposes that athletes with a history of many stressors, personality characteristics that exacerbate the stress response, and few coping resources will. when placed in a stressful situation, be more likely to appraise the situation as stressful and to exhibit greater physiological activation and attentional disruptions. The severity of the resulting stress response is the mechanism proposed to cause the injury risk. The model also proposes interventions for reducing injury risk. For the last decade. this stress-injury model has helped to provide the impetus and theoretical base for much of the psychosocial injury research. The present article examines research support for the different components of the model. The article concludes with suggestions for potential changes to the model and future research needs.