Abstract
The process by which athletes decide to continue or discontinue sport participation after concussion has not been explicated. Intercollegiate and club sport athletes (N = 394) completed an online survey that included assessments of demographic factors, the total number of concussions (and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears) that would prompt sport retirement, concussion history, and athletic identity. On average, participants reported that they would retire from their primary sport after sustaining 3 to 4 concussions (and approximately 2 ACL tears). The total number of concussions reported was negatively correlated with the number of additional concussions it would take to precipitate sport retirement. Athletic identity was positively associated with the number of concussions that participants with a history of one or more concussions reported would prompt them to retire from their primary sport. The results provide information of potential utility to professionals implementing concussion education programs and working with athletes at risk of experiencing concussion.
Highlights
An online survey on the Qualtrics platform was used to collect data pertaining to demographics, athletic identity, the total number of concussions and ACL tears it would take for athletes to decide to retire from their primary sport
Possible values for the concussion retirement number in light of participants’ self-reported concussion history and continued sport involvement were obtained from 299 participants, whose data were subjected to further analysis
The results reaffirm the high levels of risk to health and wellbeing that athletes are willing to experience in pursuit of their sport participation goals (Hughes and Coakley, 1991) and the connection of athletic identity to that risk (Brewer et al, 1993)
Summary
Sport-related concussion has emerged as an important public health concern, with an estimated 1.7 to 3 million sport- and recreation-related concussions sustained each year by individuals in the United States alone [1]. There appears to be a cumulative effect of concussions on the post-injury consequences encountered by athletes such that “individuals with a history of multiple concussions are at an increased risk for experiencing more signs and symptoms following a concussion, as well as longer symptom duration and prolonged recovery” [6] In light of the perceived [11] and actual [6,7,8,9,10] risks associated with multiple concussions as well as recent improvements in athlete awareness and expansion of educational programming regarding sport-related concussion [12], athletes may be confronted with the question of when or if they should discontinue participation in their primary sport. Sports healthcare professionals can offer athletes guidance on how to proceed after sustaining multiple concussions, but athletes may fail to disclose concussions or concussion-related
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