The Association Between Concussion History and Increased Symptom Severity Reporting Is Independent of Common Medical Comorbidities, Personality Factors, and Sleep Quality in Collegiate Athletes.
Benjamin L Brett, Lindsay D Nelson, Timothy B Meier
PMID 34570026WHAT IT FOUND
Collegiate athletes with more prior concussions reported higher symptom severity and distress, even after accounting for sleep quality and personality.
Orthopedic injury history did not show this link, suggesting the symptoms reflect brain injury effects rather than general physical trauma.
Key findings
01History of concussion significantly predicted psychological distress and symptom severity independently of confounding factors like sleep and personality.
02Orthopedic injury history was not associated with psychological distress or concussion-like symptoms, distinguishing concussion effects from general injury history.
03Specific symptoms like headache, feeling like in a fog, drowsiness, and irritability were associated with concussion history but not with other confounding factors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that concussion history caused the symptoms, only that they are associated. The sample was limited to collegiate athletes aged 18 to 26, so findings may not apply to younger children, older adults, or non-athletes. The sample lacked ethnoracial diversity, so the results may not generalize to non-White individuals. Symptoms were self-reported, which can be influenced by the participant's current state, although the study tried to control for this using personality measures.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that all symptom reporting in athletes with a history of injury is driven by personality or poor sleep. While these factors do influence overall distress, this study shows that concussion history independently predicts specific symptoms like headaches and cognitive fogginess, which were not linked to general orthopedic injury history.