Abstract
Abstract Objective Studies are lacking that examine whether cognitive reserve (CR) plays a role in differential outcomes for individuals in sports-related concussion (SRC), particularly within the acute phase. This study explored the relationship between CR (WTAR FSIQ), concussion severity (total PCSS score), and three separate outcome measures: cognitive functioning, return-to-play (RTP) time, and depression symptoms. Method The total sample included 175 (Males = 131, Females = 44) student-athletes at a Division I University, but only a subset of participants had RTP data available (N = 72; Males = 57, Females = 15). Regression analyses were conducted with CR, PCSS, and their interaction as the main predictor variables for the three separate dependent variables (neurocognitive composite, days to RTP, and BDI-FS total). Sex was found to be significantly related to the neurocognitive variable and the RTP variable and was included in those analyses as a covariate. Results For the first regression predicting neurocognitive performance, sex (t = 4.63, p < 0.001) was the only significant predictor. For the second regression predicting depression symptoms, PCSS (t = 4.52, p < 0.001) was the only significant predictor. For the third regression predicting RTP time, sex (t = 3.77, p < 0.001) was the only significant predictor. Conclusion Our results did not support a significant moderating effect of CR on the relationship between concussion symptom severity and our three outcome measures (cognitive performance, depression symptoms, RTP time). However, sex appeared to be an important predictor for neurocognitive performance, with females performing significantly higher on average than males, and for RTP times, with females having significantly longer RTP times than males.
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