ABSTRACT
Sporting injuries have long been recognized as a major risk factor for psychological distress among athletes. On the one hand, this distress has been associated with negative repercussions and the critical need to change policies and practices to support the welfare of injured athletes. On the other hand, researchers have also observed this distress to co-exist with certain positive by-products. These positive changes have been labelled as sport injury-related growth (SIRG), which is gaining increased research attention in applied sport psychology. However, rather than exploring the meaning of SIRG, researchers until now have been more intrigued with its underlying mechanisms. In this chapter, we shift the attention back to the conceptualization and experiences of SIRG by, first, comparing SIRG with related concepts (e.g., posttraumatic growth) to provide a clear conceptual foundation for future research. Next, we extend previous research by thematically synthesizing SIRG experiences. Four new dimensions of SIRG are proposed. The chapter then closes with novel future research directions (i.e., need for more substantive theories, social-cultural research) that extend our current understanding of SIRG and can help create positive change at micro (i.e., individual), meso (e.g., dyadic, team), and macro levels (e.g., organizational policies).
