Factors Associated With Concussion Nondisclosure in Collegiate Student-Athletes

Anderson, Morgan; Petit, Kyle M.; Wallace, Jessica; Covassin, Tracey; Beidler, Erica

doi:10.4085/1062-6050-0102-20

Cited by 25 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Due to this, there is a limited understanding of concussion culture in younger athlete populations. Recent descriptive studies suggest that 30% of collegiate athletes 3,4 and 30-46.3% of high school athletes 5,6 report a history of one or more concussions; however, little is known about the frequency of concussions in youth athletes participating in athletics below the high school level. Assessing and diagnosing concussions in youth athletes may be challenging for health care professionals, possibly due to varying levels of developmental ability and comprehension of health concepts.…”

Section: O N L I N E F I R S Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, recent investigations highlight a disconnect between health literacy and care-seeking behaviors in which interventioned aimed at increasing concussion knowledge did not yeild improvements in concussion disclosure. 14 Although concussion nondisclosure and continuing to play with a head injury may increase the risk for prolonged recovery, 15 16-33% of collegiate athletes 4,16 and 50-77% of high school athletes 6,17,18 report not disclosing a suspected concussion to anyone. Moreover, approximately 31% of high school athletes indicated they had knowledge of a teammate that did not report a potential concussion.…”

Section: O N L I N E F I R S Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, approximately 31% of high school athletes indicated they had knowledge of a teammate that did not report a potential concussion. 19 Furthermore, differences in disclosure behaviors exist between sports and between male and female athletes in older athletic settings; 4,5,16 however, limited research examines such differences in disclosure behaviours in youth athletes. 20 Collegiate 16 and high school 5,6,17,18 athletes continuously identify reasons for suspected concussion nondisclosure, with top motivations often relating to their perceived seriousness of the injury and their desire to remain in sport.…”

Section: O N L I N E F I R S Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These methods were originally developed by Register-Mihalik et al, 17 and to ensure reading comprehension one author, a youth reading disability expert and psychologist, adapted language of the youth athlete survey from a recent study of disclosure behaviors in collegiate athletes. 4…”

Section: Instrumentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…15,23,24 The third most common reason for nondisclosure was not thinking it was a concussion (56.3%). Importantly, many suggest increased knowledge does not always translate to increased reporting intentions, 4,6,17,18,20 however the foundational knowledge of what a concussion must also exist. We also present these percentages for reasons of nondisclosure, by sport; however, due to the large proportion of nondisclosure coming from our football sample, youth athletes playing football dominate our reasons for nondisclosure responses.…”

Section: O N L I N E F I R S Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Concussion Nondisclosure in Youth Sports

Bretzin

Anderson

Bhandari

et al. 2022

Journal of Athletic Training

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Context: Studies regarding sport-related concussion (SRC) reporting behaviors and reasons for nondisclosure primarily focus on older athletic populations. Youth athletes participating in contact sports are also at risk for SRC; however, little is known about their SRC disclosure patterns and reasons for nondisclosure. Objective: To examine self-reported SRC history and reasons for SRC nondisclosure of youth athletes ages 8-14 years. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Youth athletes in organized football, ice hockey, lacrosse, and soccer. Patients or Other Participants: 411 youth athletes (male: 70.0% (n=287/410); median age: 11 (IQR 10-13) years). Main Outcome Measures: A 15-minute survey including self-reported demographics, diagnosed and non-disclosed SRC history, and reasons for nondisclosure of suspected SRCs. Results: Ten percent of respondents (n=41/411) recounted one or more diagnosed SRC; 12.7% (n = 52/411) did not report a suspected SRC, and 13.1% (n = 53/404) indicated they continued to practice and 12.3% (n = 50/425) reported they continued to play in a game after a suspected SRC. Significant associations between sport and nondisclosure exisited (p < .001), but not self-reported concussion history (p = .14). In sex comparable analyses boys lacrosse players had higher frequency of nondisclosure compared to girls (p = .05). Most common reasons for nondisclosure were not wanting to lose playing time 66.7% (n=32/48), miss a game 56.3% (n=27/48), and let the team down 43.8% (n=21/48); and uncertainty over injury severity and presence of SRC 43.8% (n=21/48). Conclusions: Ten percent of youth athletes self-reported at least one diagnosed SRC. However, youth athletes also report continuing to practice or play within a game after a suspected SRC. Reasons for nondisclosure at this age are similar to those reported in high school and college athletes. Recent research suggests negative consequences of continued play with SRC, especially in acute stages. Future educational initiatives should emphasize these risks, and focus on reasons why athletes of both sexes withhold reporting.

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