An examination of hardiness throughout the sport-injury process: a qualitative follow-up study

Abstract

Objectives: This qualitative follow-up study aimed to enhance the interpretability and meaningfulness of the findings that emerged from a quantitative study that explored the effect of hardiness on the prediction of, and response to, sport injury (i.e., Wadey, Evans, Hanton, & Neil, 2012).

Design: Using theory-based and maximum-variation sampling to contextualize and provide an in-depth understanding of the previous findings, the participants comprised a purposeful sample of 10 athletes from the quantitative study (M age = 21.7; SD= 1.06).

Methods: Data were derived through semi-structured interviews, and analysed and displayed using composite sequence analysis (Miles & Huberman, 1994).

Results: The findings extended Wadey et al.'s (2012) study by identifying the perceived mechanisms by which athletes high and low in hardiness exacerbated or attenuated the impact of pre-injury negative major life events (i.e., a significant predictor of sport injury) and post-injury responses. Specifically, the findings demonstrate that athletes high in hardiness possessed a refined repertoire of problem- and emotion-focused coping strategies that they used pre- and post-injury. Those athletes low in hardiness used avoidance coping strategies that had long-term negative implications.

Conclusions: These findings have important implications for the structure, timing, and content of hardiness interventions that aim to reduce rates of injury occurrence and expedite injured athletes' return to competitive sport.