Determinants of help‐seeking intentions in the context of athletic injury recovery

Abstract

Injured athletes who utilize social support cope more efficiently with the demands of rehabilitation (Green & Weinberg, 2001). The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between help‐seeking intention, gender, and expectancy beliefs in the context of injury rehabilitation. A sample of 120 university athletes indicated help‐seeking intentions associated with six potential helpers in response to three different hypothetical vignettes reflecting psychological phases of injury recovery. Repeated measures ANOVA with pairwise comparisons revealed that athletes’ intentions to select a help provider varied according to psychological phase of rehabilitation and gender. Hierarchical regression analyses confirmed assertions that expectancy beliefs of nurturance and expertise are important determinants of male and female athletes’ help‐seeking intentions. This investigation is the first study to empirically determine criteria athletes use in forming help‐seeking intention appraisal from different sport social network members holding expert and non‐expert roles.

Keywords:

• help‐seeking intention
• expectancy beliefs
• athletic injury rehabilitation
• gender
• coping appraisal