Psychological Readiness after Injury and Its Impact on Fear of Return and Re-injury in Young Football Players

Objective: Research on sports injuries has traditionally focused on physical factors; however, injuries can also have significant psychological impacts on athletes. It is commonly assumed that physical and psychological recoveries occur simultaneously. Given the importance of psychological factors following injury, this study aimed to examine the impact of psychological readiness on the fear of returning to training and competition, as well as the fear of re-injury, among young football players. Methods and Materials: A total of 265 young football players aged 17 to 25 from Mashhad, Iran, participated in this cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study. Data were collected using measures of psychological readiness after a serious injury, fear of returning to sport post-injury, and fear of re-injury. Findings: The findings indicated that psychological readiness significantly predicts fear of returning to sport and fear of re-injury, with effect sizes of 0.55 and 0.52, respectively. The t-statistics for these pathways were 9.21 (p = 0.002) and 9.20 (p = 0.001), demonstrating strong statistical significance. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that sports coaches should collaborate with sports psychologists and maintain effective communication with the families of injured athletes. Such support can enhance athletes' psychological readiness, thereby reducing their fears related to returning to sport and re-injury.