"The Show Must go on" : The Experience of Injuries Among Dancers: Fears, Thoughts, and Beliefs. A Qualitative Study

NCT06349928 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: MASF_Dancers01
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 40
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This qualitative, cross-sectional study aims at describing the experience of Italian dancers with injury. Dancers face a high risk of sustaining one or more injuries during their career (87-94%), which may lead to physical, psychological, and socioeconomic consequences affecting dancer's lives and careers both short and long-term. Dancers report fearing injury and its consequences and believing in the existence of a stigma around injury and injured colleagues; many of them also try to self-manage pain and delay reporting injuries to healthcare professionals, possibly making its outcomes worse. This study will collect data from dancers via focus groups and individual interviews, investigating dancers' experiences, thoughts, and beliefs about injury. Records from the interviews will be transcribed ad verbatim and analyzed using the framework method to synthetize the data and highlight the most meaningful content. Understanding dancers' thoughts and behaviors regarding past or possible future injuries may be beneficial in improving treatment efficacy and designing adequate education and prevention strategies. It may also help raise awareness of dancers' complex and unique needs, and the importance of having accessible, specialized professionals around dance companies and schools.

Conditions

Injuries; Dancing; Injury;Sports; Stress, Psychological

Keywords

Dancing; Injury; Qualitative research; Injury, sports; Dancer; Anxiety; Fear; Prevention; Quality Assurance, Health Care; Stress, Psychological; Ballet; Modern dancing

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Experience and perception of injury amongst dancers

  Evaluation of dancers' experience and perception of injury, including the meaning of the term "injury", description of injury-related behaviors that happend in the past or may be applied in the future, description of injury-related emotions (such as fear), and thoughts. Information will be collected via semi-structured interviews and then undergo qualitative analisys

  120 minutes

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Understanding of injury prevention and pain management amongst dancers

  120 minutes

Study Arms (1)

Dancers

Dancers or dance students who pracitce at least 8 hours/week

Other: Focus group or interview

Interventions

Focus group or interview OTHER

Focus groups and qualitative interview will be conducted with dancers investigating thoughts, beliefs and behaviors related to injury. Individual interviews (in presence or online) will be hold as alternative if it will not be possible (due to logistical or personal problems) to participate in a focus group or if the number of people who would have agreed to participate in that focus group is less than 3

Dancers

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Dancers and pre-professional dance students who train 8 hours/week or more

You may qualify if:

• Individuals who train in dance (any style) 8 hours/week or more
• Individuals who ususally train in dance 8 hours/week or more but have temporarilly suspended their activity due to injury or other condition

You may not qualify if:

• Individuals who do not wish to partecipate or do not give consent to data treatment
• Individuals who do not speak Italian or English

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Siena: lead

Related Publications (3)

• McEwen K, Young K. Ballet and pain: reflections on a risk-dance culture. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health (2011) 3:2, 152-173

  BACKGROUND

• Vassallo AJ, Pappas E, Stamatakis E, Hiller CE. Injury Fear, Stigma, and Reporting in Professional Dancers. Saf Health Work. 2019 Sep;10(3):260-264. doi: 10.1016/j.shaw.2019.03.001. Epub 2019 Mar 23.

  PMID: 31497323 RESULT

• Air M. Health care seeking behavior and perceptions of the medical profession among pre- and post-retirement age Dutch dancers. J Dance Med Sci. 2009;13(2):42-50.

  PMID: 19508808 RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Wounds and Injuries; Athletic Injuries; Stress, Psychological; Anxiety Disorders

Interventions

Focus Groups; Interviews as Topic

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Mental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Data Collection; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Study Officials

• Elisabetta Bigi, BA

  University of Siena

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Elisabetta Bigi, BA

CONTACT

+393703205690; elisabetta.bigi@studenti.unisi.it

Angela Contri, MA

CONTACT

+393478824741; angela.contri@unimore.it

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Physiotherapist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 31, 2024
• First Posted: April 5, 2024
• Study Start: April 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: October 30, 2024
• Study Completion: April 1, 2025
• Last Updated: April 5, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-03