Citation

Gledhill A, Forsdyke D, Murray E. Br. J. Sports Med. 2018; 52(15): 967-971.

Affiliation

Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, School of Clinical and Applied Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/bjsports-2017-097694

PMID

29463497

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review studies examining the role of psychological interventions in injury prevention. The primary research question was: What is the real-world effectiveness of psychological intervention in preventing sports injuries? DESIGN: Mixed methods systematic review with best evidence synthesis. DATA SOURCES: CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, Science Direct and PubMed. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Randomised controlled trials (RCT), non-RCTs that included a comparison group, before and after study designs and qualitative methods. Studies were required to outline specific unimodal or multimodal psychological interventions used in relation to injury prevention in the real-world setting. OUTCOME MEASURE: Studies were independently appraised with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.

RESULTS: Thirteen papers (incorporating 14 studies) met the eligibility criteria, of which 93% (13/14) reported a decrease in injury rates (effect size range=0.2-1.21). There was an overall moderate risk of bias in reporting (52%). There is a dominance of stress management-based interventions in literature due to the prominence of the model of stress and athletic injury within the area. SUMMARY/CONCLUSIONS: Psychological interventions demonstrate small (0.2) to large (1.21) effects on sports injury rates. The research area demonstrates a cumulative moderate risk in reporting bias (52%). PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42016035879.

© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Language: en

Keywords

injury prevention; psychology; review; sport psychology; stress