The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy, Aerobic Fitness, and Traditional Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Injuries in Military Training: A Prospective Cohort Study.
Brian R Kreisel, Kelly M Scott, Erin M Florkiewicz and 4 others
PMID 39758698WHAT IT FOUND
Cadets with low self-efficacy got injured more often than confident peers, but this link disappeared once aerobic fitness was accounted for.
Only slower 2-mile run times independently predicted injury risk. Self-efficacy screening alone misses the primary physical driver.
Key findings
01Self-efficacy scores were significantly lower in cadets who sustained injuries, and those with low confidence had a reduced probability of finishing training without injury.
02When controlling for other risk factors, self-efficacy no longer predicted injury risk; only 2-mile run time remained a significant predictor.
03A history of previous injury did not predict future musculoskeletal injury in this cohort.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Self-efficacy was measured one week after training began, meaning 26% of all known injuries occurred before data collection and were excluded. Only 75.3% of eligible cadets consented to participate, introducing potential self-selection bias. The study used a custom-developed self-efficacy questionnaire that was not validated against established scales. Participants had to choose to seek medical care, which may have led to underreporting of minor injuries.
Declared interests
The text does not list specific funding sources or author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that low self-efficacy is an independent risk factor for injury. The study found that while confidence was lower in injured cadets, this association disappeared when aerobic fitness was considered, meaning poor fitness likely drives both the low confidence and the injury.