[Purpose] The world of competitive sports has its own unique subculture which at times works towards covering up psychological problems faced by athletes with injuries. The purpose of this study was to develop an “Athletic Injury Psychological Acceptance Scale (AIPAS)” to screen athletes for serious psychological problems resulting from injury. [Subjects] A total of 189 subjects responded to the survey, of which 168 (mean age= 19.93 years; average number of days unable to participate in sports= 71.84 days, SD = 88.01 days) valid responses were subjected to analysis. [Methods] A provisional version of the AIPAS was created from question items based on face-to-face subject interviews and content validity testing by specialists. In order to test criterion-related validity of the AIPAS, subjects were asked to complete indices that would serve as an external criterion. For this purpose, indices that measure athletic rehabilitation dedication and time perspective were designed. [Results] Item analysis of the provisional AIPAS was conducted to confirm the discrimination of each item. Exploratory factor analysis identified “Self-motivation” and “Focus on the Present” as two factors of the provisional scale. Confirmatory factor analysis supported these results. The Cronbach’s alpha was used to measure the internal consistency. Since α=0.81, the reliability of the scale was confirmed. A significant correlation was found between AIPAS and external indices, indicating criterion-related validity. [Conclusion] AIPAS is a reliable and valid scale composed of two subscales.

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[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the causal relationships between the psychological acceptance process of athletic injury and athletic-rehabilitation behavior. [Subjects] One hundred forty-four athletes who had injury experiences participated in this study, and 133 (mean age = 20.21 years, SD = 1.07; mean weeks without playing sports = 7.97 weeks, SD = 11.26) of them provided valid questionnaire responses which were subjected to analysis. [Methods] The subjects were asked to answer our originally designed questionnaire, the Psychosocial Recovery Factor Scale (PSRF-S), and two other pre-existing scales, the Athletic Injury Psychological Acceptance Scale and the Athletic-Rehabilitation Dedication Scale. [Results] The results of factor analysis indicate “emotional stability”, “social competence in the team”, “temporal perspective”, and “communication with the teammates” are factors of the PSRF-S. Lastly, the causal model in which psychosocial recovery factors are mediated by psychological acceptance of athletic injury, and influence on rehabilitation behaviors, was examined using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results of SEM indicate that the factors of emotional stability and temporal perspective are mediated by the psychological acceptance of the injury, which positively influences athletic-rehabilitation dedication. [Conclusion] The causal model was confirmed to be valid.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between adaptation after returning to competition and psychological and behavioral variables during the rehabilitation period. [Subjects] Athletes (N =113) that had experienced an injury (mean age = 20.22 years, SD = 1.07; mean weeks after stopping sports = 7.98 weeks, SD = 11.74) participated in this study. [Methods] The subjects were asked to respond to the athletic injury version of the Temporal Perspective Scale (TP-S), existing scales including the DDF-S, AIPA-S, and ARD-S, and the outcome indices for rehabilitation. [Results] The results of a cluster analysis indicated three modalities of temporal perspective (i.e., positive, neutral, and negative sequences). The results of an analysis of variance showed that the positive chain modality was adaptive for future dominance. The subjects in this group demonstrated higher levels of acceptance of injuries during the rehabilitation period than the other groups, devotion to rehabilitation, and awareness of the recovery in competitive performance and a feeling of personal growth. [Conclusion] The level of acceptance of injury during the rehabilitation period, as well as the devotion to rehabilitation, influenced adaptation after returning to competition.

This study examined the relationships between emotion regulation behavior (ERB) and athletic injury psychological acceptance (AIPA) process which consists of psychosocial recovery factor (PSRF) and AIPA, from the viewpoint of enacted social support (SS). Athletes (N = 180) that had experienced an injury were divided into high-and low-SS groups based on SS scale. Next, a model, in which ERB variables have an influence on AIPA process, was examined using multiple-group structural equation modelling. The model indicated differences in the degree of SS. It was suggested that in the high-SS group, ERB of emotional expression and positive reappraisal were functional, and these ERB were positively mediated by PSRF of emotional stability and temporal perspective, respectively, which promoted AIPA. Whereas, it was suggested that ERB of emotional suppression and positive reappraisal were functional, and these ERB were positively mediated by temporal perspective, which promoted AIPA in the low-SS group. However, emotional suppression was also negatively mediated by emotional stability, which obstructed AIPA. These results are suggested that differences in athletes' support environment should be considered when designing interventions.