A - 162 Comparing Bilingual and Monolingual Baseline Post-Concussion Symptom Scale Network Structures.

Abstract

Studies comparing Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) ratings between bilingual Spanish/English- and monolingual English-speaking athletes have found increased symptom endorsements for bilingual individuals. Conducting network analysis on PCSS scores and comparing network structures between bilingual and monolingual individuals can help characterize possible differences in symptom interactions between these two groups. We conducted baseline PCSS network comparisons between bilingual and monolingual high school athletes to examine differences in symptom interactions. Bilingual (n = 5201) and monolingual (n = 5201) athletes completed the PCSS in English (matched by age, gender, and sport type). Network analysis was conducted on valid baseline PCSS scores, with nodes representing symptoms and edges representing partial correlations among symptoms. Each symptom's importance was determined by calculating their expected influence. Network connectivity, structure, and symptoms' expected influences were compared using Network Comparison Tests. Both networks had positive and negative edges. The strongest edges connected symptoms within similar domains (i.e., "feeling more emotional" and "sadness"). Node expected influence was stable in both networks. "Feeling more emotional", "difficulty concentrating", and "dizziness" were most influential in both networks. The networks did not differ in connectivity, structure, and expected influence. PCSS network connectivity, structure, and symptom influence do not differ between bilingual and monolingual athletes, suggesting differences do not exist in symptom interactions between groups and likely do not underly observed differences in symptom ratings. Future work should examine whether administration language influences symptom networks.