Sport-related concussion disclosure in women's rugby—A social identity approach

Abstract

IntroductionSport-related concussion (SRC) is a risk of collision sports such as women's rugby. To support appropriate SRC diagnosis and management, an understanding of the factors that encourage SRC disclosure is necessary. To date, research has focused on ascertaining individual player knowledge and attitudes towards SRC disclosure.MethodsWe chose to investigate the potential influence of group identification effects by examining the role of social identity on SRC disclosure in elite women's rugby. Seventeen elite players from the United Kingdom and Ireland were interviewed and their transcripts thematically analysed.ResultsThe data highlighted that the players shared a very strong social identity as women in rugby and were acutely aware that their experiences were different to their male counterparts. The shared social identity had both positive and negative implications for SRC disclosure. The players interviewed did not feel comfortable disclosing their symptoms to their coach and often felt that medical staff either did not listen to them or were unavailable to them. Mediators such as communication, trust in medical teams, perceived pressure, positive injury management experience, and player role models were identified.DiscussionThis research could be utilised to inform sport psychology interventions to enhance SRC disclosure in elite women's rugby.

Nutritional Considerations of Irish Performance Dietitians and Nutritionists in Concussion Injury Management

“…Open channels of communication promote collaboration and enable the sharing of insights from multiple perspectives to make informed athlete-centred decisions, such as athletes’ RTP strategies. On the other hand, when communication breaks down, it can lead to increased misunderstandings and a risk of one-sided decision making [ 17 , 75 ]. The limited recognition of PDs’/PNs’ role by other team members in the event of injury has led to incidents where participants experienced closed communication channels, impacting their awareness of their athlete’s history with SRC.…”

“…As a result, nutrient absorption and energy availability to the brain may be facilitated, as reported anecdotally by PN [11] (see Figure 3), to support SRC healing and recovery. Effective communication and collaboration amongst backroom team practitioners and athletes are key mediators in establishing effective recovery strategies after injury diagnosis [17,75], especially after SRC. PDs/PNs know that differing levels of communication exist as part of working in a team and recognise that a "decent backroom team" [PN 5] needs internal collaboration to formulate and deliver suitable protocols to manage SRC recovery.…”

“…Due to their subjective and invisible injury presentation, many frequently go undiagnosed or unreported [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 15 , 16 ]. In sports, sub-concussive impacts, and repetitive head injuries (RHIs) are concerns due to their long-term effects on athletes’ health [ 17 ]. In Ireland, many athletes (amateur and professional) engage in collision sports, contact sports, or other activities that will increase their exposure to SRC events [ 18 ].…”

“…SRC, if experienced in isolation and managed properly, should not pose a significant risk to athletes’ health. Most individuals should see improvements in their symptoms within 7 to 30 days [ 3 , 17 , 33 ] and return to their baseline within 3 months [ 34 ] following concussion. Recent research has highlighted the potential importance of nutrition in supporting and promoting recovery from brain injury, making it an essential component currently understated for SRC reduction and management [ 3 ].…”

A qualitative exploration of perceived challenges and opportunities in the implementation of injury prevention and management in amateur female sport

“…Themes of communication have been evidenced in previous research whereby coach communication may be a predictor of concussion disclosure to coaches or sports medicine staff in collegiate athletes ( 41 ). Meanwhile research in female rugby union identified poor communication as a mediator of injury disclosure vertically (from amateur to elite programs) and horizontally (across a club program) ( 42 ). This study also found that female athletes lacked access to allied healthcare provision; this has also been observed in previous literature on female Gaelic games athletes ( 19 , 43 ).…”