Can Emotional Disclosure Promote Sport Injury-Related Growth?

Abstract

This study makes an original and rigorous contribution to the psychology of sport injury literature by examining the efficacy of emotional disclosure to promote sport-injury-related growth (SIRG). Participants (N = 45) were assigned to one of three groups (i.e., written disclosure [WD], verbal disclosure [VD], or control), 30 of whom took part in social validation interviews (>45 hr) and member reflections to evidence methodological rigor. The VD group experienced SIRG. There was no significant difference between the WD and control groups. Practical implications are considered at intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural levels. Future research on emotional disclosure should proceed with caution and diversify.