Examining the relationship between perceived autonomy support and age in the context of rehabilitation adherence in sport.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between perceived autonomy support, age, and rehabilitation adherence among sports-related injuries. Design: A prospective design measuring adherence over the entire rehabilitation period (8-10 weeks) was employed. Participants: 44 men and 26 women aged between 18 and 55 years took part in this study (M = 32.5 years, SD = 10.2). Method: Adherence was monitored via an observational measure of clinic-based adherence, a self-report measure of home-based adherence, and monitoring of attendance at rehabilitation sessions. Perceived autonomy support of participants was assessed during the last week of their rehabilitation. Results: High autonomy support provided by the physical therapist was related to better clinic-based adherence and attendance but not to home-based adherence. Age was related to all adherence indices and moderated the relationship between perceived autonomy support and clinic-based rehabilitation adherence. Conclusion: Findings indicate the importance of physical therapists providing an autonomous-supportive rehabilitation environment, particularly among older individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)