Preliminary Study of Fear of Re-Injury following Sport-Related Concussion in High School Athletes

Dev Neuropsychol. 2019 Sep;44(6):443-451. doi: 10.1080/87565641.2019.1667995. Epub 2019 Sep 19.

Abstract

The influence of fear of re-injury that this variable has on recovery outcomes following sports-related concussion remains unknown. We examined changes in fear of re-injury throughout concussion recovery, and compared changes in neurocognitive, symptom, vestibular/ocular motor, and recovery time outcomes between concussed adolescent athletes who endorsed high and low fear of re-injury. Individuals with high fear of re-injury were more symptomatic and more likely to exhibit vestibular/ocular motor symptoms over clinical cutoffs than those with low fear of re-injury. Recovery time was not significantly different between the groups. These findings may help explain performance on more subjective concussion assessments.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Athletes
  • Athletic Injuries / diagnosis*
  • Athletic Injuries / psychology*
  • Brain Concussion / diagnosis*
  • Brain Concussion / psychology*
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Fear*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Prospective Studies
  • Schools
  • Sports