Perceptions of Clinical Athletic Trainers on the Spiritual Care of Injured Athletes

Abstract

CONTEXT: Treating both the body and the mind of an injured or ill patient is accepted as necessary for full healing to occur. However, treating the spiritual needs of the patient has less consensus. OBJECTIVE: To determine the perceptions and practices of certified athletic trainers (ATs) working in the college/university setting pertaining to spiritual care of the injured athlete. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: A survey instrument was e-mailed to a stratified random sample of 2000 ATs at 4-year colleges and universities. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred sixty-four. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): We measured the ATs' perceptions and practices related to spiritual care for athletes. RESULTS: We found that 82.4% of respondents agreed that addressing spiritual concerns could result in more positive therapeutic outcomes for athletes; however, 64.3% disagreed that ATs are responsible for providing the spiritual care. Positive correlations were found between personal spirituality and items favoring implementing spiritual care. CONCLUSIONS: Athletic trainers have a conceptual appreciation of the importance of spiritual care for athletes, but the practicalities of how to define, acquire skills in, and practice spiritual care are unresolved.

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