Abstract:
Previous research dealing with how the concepts in the psychosocial cognitive competencies affect the practice of athletic training consists mostly of theories proposed by sport psychologists. The purpose of this study was to determine how frequently practicing athletic trainers encounter the concepts identified in the psychosocial intervention and referral educational competencies and how important these concepts are to athletic training practice. A total of 104 practicing athletic trainers completed a web-based survey examining their perceptions regarding how frequently the psychosocial competencies are encountered and how important they are to athletic training practice. Descriptive statistics were used to determine how often the competencies were encountered and their importance. The results revealed that five competencies (e.g., motivation and counseling) were perceived to be important and were often encountered in athletic training practice, nine were perceived as important (e.g., communication and eating disorders) to athletic training practice but were seldom encountered by practicing athletic trainers, and one competency (psychological interventions) was perceived to be unimportant and was seldom encountered by athletic trainers. In addition, one-way ANOVAs revealed significant differences (p<.05) between genders, athletic training experience groups, and employment setting groups. Based on the results of this study, the majority of the concepts outlined in the psychosocial intervention and referral educational competencies are relevant to athletic training practice.