Social support and athletic identity profiles in ACL injured athletes. A preliminary study on the influence on rehabilitation adherence

Abstract

An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is associated with a long rehabilitation process. Social support (SS) and athletic identity (AI) are two factors that have independently been shown to influence athletes’ psychological response to the rehabilitation process. However, few studies have assessed the interplay between these factors and how can they jointly affect rehabilitation adherence. We aimed to understand injured athletes’ SS and AI and their relationship with athletes’ rehabilitation adherence through latent profile analysis. Seventy-three ACL injured athletes reported their AI and SS perceptions and then completed daily-assessments along their rehabilitation process utilising an Ecological Momentary Assessment based application (Psixport®). Completing a latent profile analysis, we identified two profiles, one higher in AI and SS from sport sources (coach, teammates and staff) and the other lower in AI and SS from sport sources. Although no significant differences in rehabilitation adherence were observed between profiles, these exploratory findings found two consistent groups of athletes showing different perceptions regarding the availability of SS from sport sources as well as their athletic self-concept which could be related to different needs and demands. These different profiles should be considered to develop tailored intervention programmes to enhance rehabilitation success and wellbeing.