Sport injury and illness: elite skiers describe their experiences.

Injury and illness pose significant physical and psychological challenges for competitive athletes. The present study examined the psychological processes associated with injury and illness among elite skiers. Twelve members of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team who had recovered from a serious sport injury or debilitating illness were interviewed for the study. Inductive analyses of interview transcripts revealed that the experience of sport injury and athlete illness spanned three distinct phases, namely, the injury-illness phase, the rehabilitation-recovery phase, and the return to full activity phase. In addition, it was found that each phase was marked by a series of events that caused the skiers varying degrees of distress. This article traces the skiers' psychological journey from injury and illness through recovery, with an emphasis on factors contributing to stress and the strategies used to manage stress.

Mental readiness in surgeons and its links to performance excellence in surgery.

The purpose of this study was to assess mental factors related to surgical excellence among surgeons. In-depth interviews were conducted with 33 highly proficient surgeons involved in high- (51%) and low- (49%) mortality-risk surgery. A "Surgeon Interview Guide" was developed for eliciting relevant qualitative and quantitative data. The success elements from Orlick's "Model of Human Excellence," based on work with elite athletes, were used as the basic framework for the qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts. Of the three major readiness factors rated by the surgeons--mental, technical, and physical--surgeons rated mental readiness as most important for performance excellence in surgery; 49, 41, and 10%, respectively. Mental readiness was also the factor that showed the most significant change between successful and disappointing surgical performances (p = 0.003). The following mental factors were identified as important among highly qualified surgeons and in surgeons performing high-mortality-risk surgery: commitment, self-belief, positive imagery, mental readiness, full focus, distraction control, and constructive evaluation. Highly successful experienced surgeons perform at an exceptional level largely because of the quality of their mental skills. Residents in surgery may benefit from systematic mental training in similar mental skills. This approach has been effective in other high-performance disciplines and could likewise play a meaningful role in helping surgeons improve their mental readiness for the challenges they face.