Table 4.
Categorisation and definitions of identified psychological, social and contextual factors and themes
| Theme | Factor | Definition | No. of studies |
| Psychological domain | Psychological factor | 77 | |
| Barriers to progress | Fear/anxiety131 | Fear* is a biological mechanism associated with definite danger (eg, fear of re-injury), whereas anxiety is associated with anticipation or uncertainty from previous experience (eg, re-injury anxiety) | 29 |
| Other emotions32 | The way one feels after an event (eg, injury) and can consist of feelings and/or mood disturbances (eg, frustration, anger, depression) | 24 | |
| Psychological readiness32 | A state of mental preparedness. In the context of RTS, this includes an appraisal of one’s health status and risks (perceived or actual) associated with sport participation | 8 | |
| Sport-confidence132 | The belief or degree of certainty individuals possess about their ability to be successful in sport | 6 | |
| Active coping | Coping133 | Cognitive and behavioural efforts used to manage demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding one’s resources | 19 |
| Identity134 | An internal, self -constructed, dynamic organisation of drives, abilities, beliefs, and individual history | 13 | |
| Catastrophising pain24 | A negative appraisal of pain that may represent ineffective or inappropriate pain coping strategy | 4 | |
| Resilience135 | The ability to use personal qualities to withstand pressure, ‘bounce back’, and persist during stressful or adverse encounters (eg, injury) | 2 | |
| Independence | Self-efficacy16 | A situation-specific form of confidence that involves self-assessment or judgement of one’s capability to execute behaviours to attain an outcome | 12 |
| Motivation115 | All aspects of activation and intention on behaviour, including energy, direction, persistence and equifinality | 10 | |
| Autonomy115 | An internal perceived locus of causality or degree to which individuals desire to control life events or behaviour | 4 | |
| Recovery expectations | Recovery expectation127 | A belief that some anticipated future outcome is likely | 12 |
| Perceptions136 | How one views or perceives their current situation or injury | 8 | |
| Beliefs136 | A dispositional mindset that may or may not manifest either in consciousness or behaviour | 5 | |
| Social domain | Social factor | 30 | |
| Social Support | Social support137 | An exchange of resources or social interactions between individuals comprising of emotional, informational and tangible support | 29 |
| Engagement in care | Therapeutic alliance138 | A working relationship between a healthcare provider and patient that involves agreement on treatment goals, tasks, and an affective bond (eg, trust) | 7 |
| Shared decision-making125 | A process whereby healthcare providers and patients work together to make healthcare choices based on best available evidence and patient’s values | 4 | |
| Contextual domain | Contextual factor | 16 | |
| Environmental influences | Environment139 | The atmosphere or setting of a situation which is created by a combination of external (eg, healthcare provider) factors and/or one’s individual context | 12 |
| Sport culture | Sport culture139 | The environment or ethos of a sport | 4 |
*Given that fear has been heavily investigated in this population, we chose to separate it from ‘other emotions.’ Fear and anxiety (fear of re-injury/re-injury anxiety) were grouped together as these two constructs were often used interchangeably across studies.
RTS, return to sport.