The symptom experience of adolescents with concussion

Abstract

Purpose The incidence of concussions in adolescents has increased in recent years. Concussion causes an array of symptoms that can interfere with the daily life of an adolescent, yet the symptoms and recovery vary greatly. Concussion management is based on expert consensus guidelines but they are not specific for adolescents and it is unclear how adolescents actually manage their symptoms. This study aimed to describe the symptom experience of adolescents with a concussion and their self‐management strategies. Design and Methods The study used a qualitative design to explore the symptom experiences of adolescents. Ten adolescents aged 14–17 years were recruited from a concussion clinic. Using a semi‐structured interview, adolescents were asked about their concussion symptoms, the interference with their daily life, and their symptom self‐management strategies. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results Adolescents reported 17 different symptoms they experienced following their concussion. All of the adolescents reported a headache but descriptions varied. The symptoms interfered with many aspects of their daily life including school and activities. The majority of the school responses were related to difficulties attending school and learning (n = 21). The self‐management strategies were organized into 11 categories. The most common strategies fell under three categories: rest (n = 20), controlling the environment (n = 20), and using motivational thoughts and activities (n = 9). Practice Implications This study indicates that adolescents experience multiple symptoms after their concussion and use a variety of strategies to manage the symptoms. Each adolescent had a unique symptom experience, highlighting the need for developing personalized concussion management plans. Nurses can coordinate the development of management plans and provide education about managing concussion symptoms and promoting recovery.

Exploring the outcomes and experiences of Black and White athletes following a sport-related concussion: a retrospective cohort study

“…Previous qualitative research with adolescents has shown that four categories-school, mood, and physical and social activities-emerged when asking how SRC symptoms affected aspects of life. 43 In addition, the ability to control environmental symptom-exacerbating factors, such as noise levels and bright lights, led to different strategies to self-manage symptoms. 43 Among the athletes in this study, there were small differences between Black and White ath- letes in video game use, but a greater proportion of White athletes reported that they slept more (34.6% vs 27.8%) and watched less television (63.5% vs 52.8%) than the proportion of Black athletes.…”

“…43 In addition, the ability to control environmental symptom-exacerbating factors, such as noise levels and bright lights, led to different strategies to self-manage symptoms. 43 Among the athletes in this study, there were small differences between Black and White ath- letes in video game use, but a greater proportion of White athletes reported that they slept more (34.6% vs 27.8%) and watched less television (63.5% vs 52.8%) than the proportion of Black athletes. The median duration of sleep disturbance following SRC has been shown to be approximately 16 days, 44 and the sleep changes reported among the White athletes could be tied to their longer symptom duration.…”

School performance in youth after a concussion

“…In Ontario, the annual incidence of concussion is 1% of the population, with children having the highest incidence (3,600 per 100,000 individuals) (1,2). A concussion has detrimental impacts on a child's physical, psychological, and academic performance (3)(4)(5), affecting school attendance (6), participation in sports or social activities (7), and quality of life (8)(9)(10). Although many children become symptom-free within 2 weeks, approximately one-third of children experience prolonged symptoms past 1 month, referred to as persistent post-concussion symptoms (PCS) (11,12).…”