Relationship of athletic and academic identity to concussion reporting intentions

Abstract

BackgroundUnderstanding concussed athletes' motivations for reporting concussion symptoms is important for health care professionals who are charged with the care, management, and prevention of future injury. ObjectivesTo examine if athletic and academic identity predict concussion symptom reporting intentions above and beyond traditional socio-cognitive predictors. DesignCross-sectional study using self-report measures during the 2016 collegiate football season. MethodIn a sample of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I American football athletes (N = 205) we examined the relationship of athletic and academic identity with three indices of symptom reporting behavior: reporting during a game, reporting 24 h after a game, and reporting on behalf of a teammate. We used descriptive statistical analyses, correlations, and linear regression to examine hypotheses. ResultsControlling for traditional predictors, athletic identity was associated with a lower likelihood to report symptoms during a game (β = −0.22, t = −3.28, p < .001) or within 24 h (β = −0.28, t = −4.12, p < .001). Academic identity was positively associated with reporting intentions during a game (β = 0.12, t = 1.68, p < .05), 24 h later (β = 0.13, t = 1.85, p < .05), and on behalf of a teammate (β = 0.22, t = −3.36, p < .001). ConclusionsAthletic and academic identities offer additional insight into athletes' motivation for concussion symptom reporting intentions, above and beyond traditional socio-cognitive predictors. Discussion focuses on the benefit of incorporating these important self-identities into educational health interventions to improve their impact.