Experiencing an injury is never opportune at any stage of an athlete’s trajectory. The manner in which he/she is able to rebound, however, and the timeframe within which this occurs are contingent on several individual attributes, as well as contextual factors. Ide- ally, these variables should be in place before injury occurs in order to reinforce the rehabilitation process and fortify the athlete’s psychological read- iness for return to play post injury.
Resilience Theory, as presented by Zimmerman (2005), provides invaluable insight into the role of positive individual and contextual variables for healthy development. In applying this theory to the discussion about the de- termination of the psychological readiness of athletes post injury, an underlying principle, herein proposed, is that an athlete’s level of resilience prior to injury is crucial to his/her rehabilitation and psychological readiness for return to competition. Furthermore, it is being proposed that unaddressed Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) will also negatively impact the athlete’s ability to compete optimally.
By way of definition, resilience speaks to the process of adapting well in the face of adversity. In other words, it refers to one’s ability to bounce back from difficult experiences, and display mental toughness in instances of perceived stress. Within the context of behavioural studies, Resilience Theory posits that positive / promotive factors that are available to an individual pro- vide the requisite support for engaging with, and overcoming, adverse circum- stances. These promotive factors are divided into two main categories, namely: 1) assets – those emanating from the individual, such as self esteem and self-efficacy; and 2) resources – factors that are derived from the indi- vidual’s social context and support system, i.e., parents, coaches, mentors, etc.
