Faculty Collaboration Database

The Association Between Concussion History and Increased Symptom Severity Reporting Is Independent of Common Medical Comorbidities, Personality Factors, and Sleep Quality in Collegiate Athletes. J Head Trauma Rehabil 2022 Jul-Aug 01;37(4):E258-E267

Date

09/28/2021

Pubmed ID

34570026

Pubmed Central ID

PMC8940748

DOI

10.1097/HTR.0000000000000724

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85134232355 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   2 Citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the degree to which the association between history of concussion with psychological distress and general symptom severity is independent of several factors commonly associated with elevated symptom severity. We also examined whether symptom severity endorsement was associated with concussion injury specifically or response to injury in general.

SETTING: Academic medical center.

PARTICIPANTS: Collegiate athletes ( N = 106; age: M = 21.37 ± 1.69 years; 33 female) were enrolled on the basis of strict medical/psychiatric exclusion criteria.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional single-visit study. Comprehensive assessment, including semistructured interviews to retrospectively diagnose the number of previous concussions, was completed. Single-predictor and stepwise regression models were fit to examine the predictive value of prior concussion and orthopedic injuries on symptom severity, both individually and controlling for confounding factors.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Psychological distress was operationalized as Brief Symptom Inventory-18 Global Severity Index (BSI-GSI) ratings; concussion-related symptom severity was measured using the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool.

RESULTS: Controlling for baseline factors associated with the symptom outcomes (agreeableness, neuroticism, negative emotionality, and sleep quality), concussion history was significantly associated with psychological distress ( B = 1.25 [0.55]; P = .025, Δ R2 = 0.034) and concussion-like symptom severity ( B = 0.22 [0.08]; P = .005, Δ R2 = 0.064) and accounted for a statistically significant amount of unique variance in symptom outcomes. Orthopedic injury history was not individually predictive of psychological distress ( B = -0.06 [0.53]; P = .905) or general symptom severity ( B = 0.06 [0.08]; P = .427) and did not explain the relationship between concussion history and symptom outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS: Concussion history is associated with subtle elevations in symptom severity in collegiate-aged athletes; this relationship is independent of medical, lifestyle (ie, sleep), and personality factors. Furthermore, this relationship is associated with brain injury (ie, concussion) and is not a general response to injury history.

Author List

Brett BL, Nelson LD, Meier TB

Authors

Benjamin Brett PhD Assistant Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Timothy B. Meier PhD Associate Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Lindsay D. Nelson PhD Associate Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Athletes
Athletic Injuries
Brain Concussion
Comorbidity
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Personality
Retrospective Studies
Severity of Illness Index
Symptom Assessment
Young Adult