An evaluation of the relevance of the Kübler-Ross model to the post-injury responses of competitive athletes

Past attempts to explain and/or predict the post-injury responses of competitive athletes have often relied upon the use of current models of grief. The stage model of Kübler-Ross (1969) has been particularly popular among sports psychologists and cited frequently in sports psychology literature. Since the model was based upon a very different subject population, its relevance to the post-injury responses of competitive athletes has been questioned. The study therefore proposed to evaluate the relevance of the model to the post-injury responses of competitive athletes. An existing database was utilized. The research sample consisted of 21 subjects who, as a result of injury, could not partake in sport for a minimum duration of two months. The sample represented various cultural groups, with ages ranging from 12 years to 35 years. Levels of participation ranged from provincial to international. Through a process of qualitative analysis, post-injury responses most similar to the grief responses proposed by Kübler-Ross (1969) were identified and coded with the aid of the QSR NUD*IST computer program. Results indicated the frequent existence of post-injury responses similar to those proposed by Kubler-Ross (1969), with the exception of responses of bargaining. The model also proved to be a relevant aid in the identification of several underlying tendencies occurring during the post-injury period. In terms of these results several further recommendations were also made.