Citation

Hamilton LH, Hamilton WG, Meltzer JD, Marshall P, Molnar M. Am. J. Sports Med. 1989; 17(2): 263-267.

Affiliation

Miller Health Care Institute for Performing Artists, St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, New York.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2757131

Abstract

Twenty-nine soloist and principal dancers (mean age, 29.08 years) from America's two most celebrated ballet companies were administered questionnaires measuring personality (API), occupational stress (OES), strain (PSQ), and coping mechanisms (PRQ), and injury patterns. The results revealed that male dancers demonstrated significantly more negative personality traits and psychological distress than female dancers or men in the general population. In addition, physical stress and personality traits, characteristic of the "overachiever," distinguished injured dancers. It is suggested that classical ballet's emphasis on the ballerina may be at odds with a masculine identity in male dancers. Furthermore, the qualities that lead to success in this profession may contribute to injuries if carried to an extreme.

Language: en