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Effects of Physical and Psychological Factors on Sports Injury Occurrence in Collegiate Football Players [Received January 23, 2023; Accepted June 27, 2023] It should be acknowledged that several factors (including physical and psychological ones) are involved in sports injuries and conditioning. However, most reports related to the conditions of the athletes, consider their physical and psychological aspects separately. This prospective cohort study aimed to assess whether physical and psychological factors synergistically increase the risk of injury among Japanese footballers by examining field-based measurements and online surveys. A total of 94 footballers were followed up during the football season. Eight factors comprising four physical (current injury, pain awareness, functional movements, and ankle instability) and four psychological factors (catastrophic thoughts about pain, sleepiness awareness, sleep disorder, as well as anxiety and depression) were examined. An increased risk of injury was observed when the physical injury was associated with emotional reactions, defined as psychological factors. This study confirms the findings of previous reports focusing on psychological factors and shows that encouraging collegiate athletes to seek treatment for such concerns can be extremely effective. It is, therefore, important to adopt programs that communicate the importance of collaborative and interdisciplinary treatment approaches to collegiate athletes, sports physicians, and administrative staff to provide comprehensive treatment for collegiate athletes. Keywords: mental health, prospective study, sports injury |