•  
  •  
 

Keywords

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Abstract

VirginiaContext: According to the literature, in the United States there are an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million sport-related concussions annually with over 10,000 concussions among National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) student-athletes1. The annual incidence of medically diagnosed pediatric concussions increased from 34 per 10,000 persons in 2003 to 150 per 10,000 persons in 20132. There has been an increase in research studied on the physiological mechanisms and causes of concussions among people of all ages with sports participation being the etiology of about half of all pediatric concussions2. Concussions occur from excessive forces being applied to the skull resulting in a temporary or permanent injury to the brain leading to impairments of the neurological system3. This can result in decreased cognitive functioning, impaired decision-making abilities, poor judgement, and impulsive thoughts which influences risk-taking behaviors3. Student athletes with increased sensation-seeking behaviors could be at risk for failing to disclose a concussion, impact their safety, and result in decreased care post-injury4. Risk-taking behaviors can be categorized as financial, social, legal, physical, and psychological5. However, the engagement in risky behaviors is subjective and based on individual circumstances and concussion history. Purpose: To compare risk-taking behaviors in men’s and women’s Division I basketball players using a previously validated risk-taking questionnaire (RT-18)5. Methods: As part of annual baseline concussion testing, participants completed a basic medical history questionnaire and RT-18 questionnaire. The RT-18 is a brief 18-item survey using “yes/no” questions to evaluate individuals’ risk-taking behaviors and perceptions of risk. Once completed, all data was exported to IBM SPSS Statistics v.28.0 for analysis. A Mann-Whitney U test was used to characterize the data and compare risk taking behaviors and perceptions of risk between two groups – those with a history of concussion and those without. Results: A total of 29 NCAA Division I basketball players (male=15, female=14) completed the RT-18 questionnaire and medical history form. Of the 29 players, 31% (n=9) reported a previous history of at least one concussion. There was no significant difference in risk -taking between those with concussion history (M=18.67) and those without (M=13.35) as indicated by performance on the RT-18, U=57.00, z=-1.57, p=.117. Conclusions: Concussions are severe life-threatening injuries, and the research supports increased prevalence amongst male and female NCAA athletes. The results from this study demonstrate that risk-taking behaviors are unrelated to a history of concussion, however this data is dependent on truthful reporting of concussion injury. Clinicians should encourage timely reporting of symptoms and remain knowledge about the signs of an unreported concussion to provide immediate treatment and decrease the potential risk of an adverse event.

Download

Share

COinS