A-48 Comparative Analysis of Adolescents With a Sport-Related Concussion Versus Non-Sport-Related Concussion During Initial Visit

Abstract

Abstract [Outstanding Trainee Award Winner] Purpose To investigate differences in pre-injury risk factors and clinical outcomes in adolescents with a Sport-Related Concussion (SRC) versus non-Sport-Related Concussion (non-SRC). Methods Participants (n=136, aged 10-18) presented to a specialty concussion clinic 2-30 (M=9.25) days post-injury. They completed a clinical interview with a trained clinician and were administered the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test (ImPACT), Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS), Concussion Clinical Profile Screening (CP Screen), Vestibular/Ocular-Motor Screening (VOMS), Screen for Child Related Anxiety Disorders - Child Version (SCARED-C), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7). Data analyses utilized independent sample t-tests, chi-square tests, and descriptive statistics to compare clinical outcomes of both groups during initial visit. Alpha was set to p<.05 for all analyses. Results Adolescents with non-SRC took longer to seek specialty concussion care, were majority female, and were older than the SRC group. Non-SRC participants also reported a higher rate of migraine, depression, and anxiety history (i.e., SCARED-C Panic Disorder, SCARED-C Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and SCARED-C Anxiety Disorder). Additionally, non-SRC participants reported more symptoms on the PCSS Total score, and on most VOMS items, including Smooth Pursuits, Horizontal and Vertical Saccades, Horizontal and Vertical Vestibular-Ocular Reflex, Visual Motion Sensitivity, as well as VOMS Total. Non-SRC group also reported higher post-injury anxiety scores (i.e., GAD-7). All findings were below the p-value of .05. Conclusions The study findings suggest that mechanism of injury and individual risk factors play a significant role in determining the clinical presentation of a concussion in an SRC and non-SRC adolescent population.