The Effect of Psychological Support and Mental Training on Anxiety Regulation of Injured Tunisian Athletes

Abstract

The aim of our study consisted in testing the importance of psychological support and mental training for Tunisian injured athletes on the enhancement of their emotional and behavioral reactions to anxiety to be reinjured. A total of N= 48 Tunisian male and female athletes, most of them professional sports players and having knee, shoulder or ankle injuries were recruited for the purpose of our study. The sample was divided into 2 groups: An experimental group of 44 injured athletes were subjected to psychological support and mental training-relaxation program 5 weeks long, and a control group of 44 injured athletes without psychological and mental training. To assess the overall impact of emotional states of the injured athletes we used the Profile of Mood State Questionnaire (POMS) and a 10 cm self-rating scale. Our findings showed that 8 week of psychological assistance and coaching program in the form of motor imagery and relaxation contribute to decrease in anxiety among the injured Tunisian athletes.