Associations Between Injury Severity And Impact On Quality Of Life In Ncaa Division I Athletes.

Prior work in youth athletes suggests that injury can impair quality of life (QOL), but little prospective data exists regarding the impact of injuries based on the severity of injury in collegiate athletes. PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between injury severity and mental and physical QOL in NCAA Division I athletes. METHODS: 345 football, soccer, cross country, tennis, and golf athletes (45.0% female) completed an online Veterans Rand 12 (VR-12) survey at the start and end of their 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons. Mental and physical QOL was assessed via VR-12 mental and physical composite scores (MCS and PCS). All acute injuries that resulted in at least 24 hours of removal from sport were identified through medical chart reviews. Injuries were categorized as surgical or nonsurgical. Least square means were calculated for each injury group for the pre and postseason surveys. Interaction estimates were calculated for each injury group with uninjured athletes and preseason surveys as the reference. RESULTS: 65 non-surgical injuries and 33 surgical injuries were identified. Athletes with surgical injuries experienced a greater decrease in PCS over the season than uninjured athletes (time*injury estimate: -5.6 +/- 0.91, p < 0.001), but athletes with nonsurgical injuries did not (-0.86 +/- 0.69, p = 0.75). Neither athletes with surgical injuries nor athletes with nonsurgical injuries experienced a significantly different change in MCS compared to uninjured athletes (Surgical: 1.0 +/- 1.4, p = 0.48, Nonsurgical: 1.9 +/- 1.1, p = 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to uninjured athletes, collegiate athletes who experience injuries resulting in surgery had a significant decrease in physical QOL during their competitive season. Changes in mental quality of life during the season did not differ between injured and uninjured athletes, regardless of injury severity.