Predictors of Adherence in the Rehabilitation of Athletic Injuries: An Application of Personal Investment Theory

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between the three facets of subjective meaning—personal incentives, sense of self, and perceived behavioral options—and adherence behaviors in the athletic injury rehabilitation setting. Subjects were 40 intercollegiate athletes who had sustained a sport related injury; all completed a questionnaire assessing the three components of meaning specific to sport and injury rehabilitation. Adherence was defined as a composite of attendance at the prescribed sessions, degree of completion of the prescribed exercise protocol, and the athlete's intensity or effort exerted in performing the prescribed exercise. Multiple-regression analyses indicated that each dimension significantly predicted adherence behaviors. Athletes who demonstrated greater adherence believed in the efficacy of the treatment, perceived more social support for their rehabilitation, were more goal directed or self-motivated, and placed more emphasis on mastery or task-involved goals in sport.