Multifactorial background of acute sports injuries in young Japanese athletes—a semi-structured interview study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19491024 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yukiko Kimotsuki (0009-0003-4846-8411, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences, corresponding author), Issei Ogasawara (0000-0003-4176-689X, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences, corresponding author), Susumu Iwasaki (0000-0001-9574-5862, Fort Lewis College), Kanto Nagai (Kobe University), Kyohei Nishida (0000-0002-9275-9916, Kobe University), Ryosuke Kuroda (0000-0001-5097-7264, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine), Ken Nakata (0000-0002-8964-4229, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Pages | 1813583-1813583 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-26 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Sports and Active Living (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2624-9367 • E-ISSN: 2624-9367 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fspor.2026.1813583 |
| PMID | 42267254 |
| OpenAlex | W7162300819 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 29 |
Background: Although sports injuries occur because of inappropriate physical movement, the influence of multiple factors, such as psychological and social factors, on their occurrence remains poorly understood. Methods: This semi-structured interview study included 10 athletes. The semi-structured interviews explored participants' perceptions of the physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and situational factors associated with their injury. Their conversations were audio recorded, transcribed, and qualitatively analyzed by three experts using the Steps for Coding and Theorization method (SCAT). Results: The SCAT extracted 14 key themes, which can be categorized into seven meta-factors as potential factors underlying sports injuries. Notably, athletes often misjudge their physical state and overlook early warning signs of discomfort, while lacking sufficient behavioral knowledge on how to control and prevent risk. Additionally, elevated stress and excessive motivation triggered risk-taking behaviors and persistence, despite fatigue. A lack of external guidance and feedback appeared to allow maladaptive routines to continue. Situational factors, such as unfamiliar tactics combined with limited technical adaptability, reduced their ability to adjust movement behavior and ultimately increased vulnerability to injury. Conclusion: Exploration of meta-factors and key themes revealed that sports injuries are influenced by a multitude of factors, irrespective of athletes' awareness
Athletes · Injury prevention · Perception · Poison control · Situational ethics · Suicide prevention · Vulnerability (computing) · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Sport Psychology and Performance · Sports injuries and prevention · Traumatic Brain Injury Research
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |