A-28 Systemic Failures Impacting Concussion Symptom Non Disclosure and “Toughing it out” Among Black Athletes

Abstract

Abstract Purpose Despite socio-political and community efforts to shift the narrative among college and professional sports toward injury disclosure, “toughing it out” narratives continue to impact players and, more specifically, Black players. Symptom nondisclosure narratives disproportionately affect Black athletes' concussion symptom knowledge and willingness to disclose a concussion. The purpose of this study is a call for accountability, fellowship, and active caring of Black college and professional athlete’s in order to promote concussion symptom disclosure. Data Selection A literature review of peer-reviewed articles from 2018 to 2022 from PubMed and Google Scholar was conducted. Keywords include racial disparities, concussions, identity, and professional and college athletes. Informal analyses were used to identify and analyze themes across articles, including health disparities, concussions, and nondisclosures. Data Synthesis Black athletes are more likely to under-report concussion symptoms than their white counterparts. Power and privilege within the context of institutionalized racism inform disparities in concussion psychoeducation. Black athlete identity formation within white institutions further informs willingness to report symptoms. Consequently, concussion non-disclosure can put athletes at risk for repetitive head injury, persisting neurocognitive, and psychological deficits. Conclusions Recognizing the role of systemic racism in concussion symptom reporting is critical. Neuropsychologists are responsible for understanding intersectionality, institutional racism, and Black athlete identity. To this end, concussion symptom non-disclosure needs to be conceptualized as suppression of Black athletes' voices and wellbeing. A shift towards fellowship and active caring is needed to understand athlete identity among Black athletes and how these narratives influence symptom disclosure over time.