Factors Influencing Injuries in Amateur Basketball Players: The Role of Mental Factors and Sleep Quality

Aims: Basketball’s high intensity, multidirectional demands place players at considerable risk of musculoskeletal injury. While physical and biomechanical factors are well documented, the influence of psychological and behavioral variables—particularly obsessive passion for sport and sleep quality—remains underexplored in amateur populations. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, location, and predictors of basketball-related injuries among Iranian amateur players, with a focus on mental factors and sleep quality.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 488 amateur basketball players. Data on demographics, training characteristics, injury history (past six months), obsessive passion, and sleep quality were collected. Injury was defined as any basketball-related physical problem causing ≥1 week of training/match cessation, ≥2 weeks of modified load, or requiring medical consultation. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done to predict the variables.
Findings: Overall, 54.5% of players (N=266) reported at least one injury in the previous six months, most commonly affecting the ankle (21%; N=62) and knee (19.6%; N=58). Obsessive passion (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.12–2.23, p = 0.009), poorer sleep quality (OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.02–1.19, p = 0.015), and >5 years’ experience (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.01–2.00, p = 0.046) remained significant predictors, explaining 14% of the variance with 68% classification accuracy.
Conclusion: Injury risk among amateur basketball players is influenced not only by physical exposure but also by psychological commitment and recovery quality. Screening for obsessive passion and poor sleep may help identify at-risk athletes, enabling targeted interventions to optimize training load, recovery, and long-term participation.