A-148 The Experiences of Partners of Elite Athletes Diagnosed with Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS)

Abstract

Abstract Objective This study explored partners’ experiences of caring for an elite athlete who has post-concussion syndrome (PCS) or lingering symptoms of concussion. Until this point, the concussion literature has focused mostly on experiences of athletes (McCrory et al, 2017) and caregivers of non-athletes with brain injury. Literature on partners of athletes with PCS is woefully underrepresented. The purpose of this study is to examine the experience of partners of elite athletes with PCS to add to current concussion and caretaker literature. Method Conventional content analysis of semi-structured interviews was used for the inductive identification of common themes in the participants experience, with the coding categories directly derived from the text data. Results Major themes created from the coding of interviews included a) the lack of literature available and provided to the general public on concussions and PCS is minimal, b) there is a sense of ambiguity for partners and their post-concussed loved ones regarding duration of symptoms and what to expect, c) partners turned to non-credible sources of information and at times, adding undue stress, and d) feeling as if the dynamics of their relationship had not changed, and if they had, quite minimally, following a concussion(s) sustained by their loved one. Evidence for mild caregiver burden was found and participants identified unexpected and exhausting emotional difficulties. Conclusion Findings were consistent with current literature on caregivers of non-athletes with brain injury. This study extended current literature to include literature on partners of athletes with PCS.