Comparison of psychological factors between healthy athletes and those suffering from chronic ankle instability

Background: Ankle sprain is the most common traumatic injury among handball players, which usually leads to the development of Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI). There is much evidence regarding the mechanical component about this condition; however, the psychological component has been little studied in previous research. The aim of this study was to compare anxiety, personality traits, depression, and kinesiophobia between young handball players with and without CAI. Methods: Case-control study. A sample of 100 young handball players was recruited and divided into athletes with CAI (case group, n = 50) and healthy athletes (control group, n = 50). Main outcome measures were anxiety, personality traits, depression and kinesiophobia levels, which were assessed by self-reported questionnaires (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory-II and Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia-11). Results: Statistically significant differences were found between groups for anxiety, personality traits, depression and kinesiophobia. Case group showed higher levels of state anxiety (Δ-2.50; p < .05), trait-anxiety (Δ-3.80; p < .05), neuroticism (Δ-0.92; p < .05), depression (Δ-4.10; p < .05), and kinesiophobia (Δ6.82; p < .05) compared to the control group. Conclusions: Young handball players with CAI present significant greater levels of anxiety, neuroticism, depression and kinesiophobia compared to healthy young handball players.