Catastrophic thinking and temporary evolution of mood state in injured football players

Previous research has studied the effects on psychological variables that catastrophic thinking has on the mental health of an individual as a result of a sports injury. However, fewer research has emphasized this impact on the mood state of the athlete from a longitudinal perspective. This study used a sample size of 22 injured young males football players with the aim of observing the temporal evolution of the relationship between catastrophic thinking and mood. The study was carried out at the Polyclinic of the Football Federation of the Region of Murcia (FFRM) in Spain. Sociodemographic information and data about the current injury and the previous history of sports injury was acquired, as well as additional data about different psychological variables, catastrophic thinking and mood. Positive and negative relationships are found, where the higher catastrophism (Rumination, Helplessness and Magnification) the higher the negative mood state (Tension, Depression, Anger and Fatigue) and the lower the positive mood state (Vigour). As the time after the injury increases, the psychological profile improves, with the negative factors decreasing linearly and the positive factors increasing. These findings may be of importance for planning and for the implementation of rehabilitation pro-grams for injured football players.