Injured athletes' perceptions of and satisfaction with the social support provided by their coaches and teammates during rehabilitation

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to assess injured athletes’ perceptions of and satisfaction with the social support provided by their coaches and teammates. Seventy two varsity student-athletes (26 females, 46 males) completed the Rehabilitation Social Support Survey. This instrument, a modified form of the Social Support Survey, was used to determine for each type of social support the athlete’s satisfaction, its availability, and its contribution to the athlete’s well-being. A MANOVA was used to determine if significant differences existed for the athletes’ evaluations of the three variables support (composed of the eight types of social support), effect (composed of the satisfaction, the availability, and the contribution to the athlete’s well-being) and source (composed of the coaches and the teammates). The MANOVA analysis determined a main effect of the variable effect. Pillai’s trace=6.S24. p<.01. and a main effect of the variable support. Pillai’s trace=6.824. p<.O1. on the injured athletes’ evaluations of the social support they perceived. The MANOVA analysis also revealed an interaction effect between the support and the effect variables, Pillai’s trace=2.410, p<.05, and an interaction effect between the support and the source variables. Pillai’s trace-2.866, p<05. Results showed that the benefits of the social support that injured athletes perceived are dependent on the athlete’s expectations about the provider, the athlete’s satisfaction with the social support provided, and the availability of the social support. The more satisfied the athletes were about the social support provided, the more beneficial it was for their well-being. Similarly, the more the athletes perceived the social support was available, the more satisfied they were. Differences between the coaches and the teammates were found. For seven of the eight types of social support, teammates provided more satisfying support, their support was also more available and it contributed more to the injured athletes’ well-being. The MANOVA, by calculating the mean between the three components of the effect variable (satisfaction, availability and contribution of each type of the social support), also revealed that injured athletes evaluated the listening support as having the highest mean; while they evaluate the tangible support as the lowest mean of all the type of social support.