An Investigative Study into the Non-Reporting of Concussions in High School Athletes

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would first like to express my gratitude for my research supervisor, colleagues, peers and family whose immense and constant support has been a source of continuous guidance and inspiration.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names & surname here], declare that the following dissertation/thesis and its entire content has been an individual, unaided effort and has not been submitted or published before. Furthermore, it reflects my opinion and take on the topic and is does not represent the opinion of the University.

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ABSTRACT

High school athletes may experience unique pressures and factors that affect the reporting of concussion symptoms. Pressures to continue participation despite injury can be noon-imposed or come from teammates, coaches, families, or even fans. Psychological factors such as fear of letting teammates down, being perceived as weak, and being removed from participation are all reasons proposed to affect symptom reporting. These external pressures may not actually even exist in many situations. The high school athletes perceive that they exist and, therefore, allow them to influence their health behaviors and injury reporting.28 Health behavior theory is useful to help understand the possible sources and interactions of these factors. The accessibility of medical care and supervision may also influence symptom reporting and concussion diagnoses of high school athletes. The first chapter provides introduction to the topic. The second chapter is based on critical review of literature. The methodology is covered in the third chapter, followed by results and analysis of findings in the fourth chapter. The study concludes with the fifth chapter, which provides summary and recommendations for future research.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTI

DECLARATIONII

ABSTRACTIII

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Study1

Problem Statement2

Hypotheses2

Significance of the Study3

Limitations3

Delimitations3

Assumptions4

Definition of Terms4

CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE6

Pathological Aspects of Concussion7

Repeat Concussions8

Resolution Time8

Athletics Injury Rates9

Concussion Symptom Reporting10

Proposed Causes for Deficient Reporting11

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY13

Research Method and Design13

Subjects and Recruitment14

Selection of Instruments15

Concussion Reporting Questionnaire15

Injury Reporting Questionnaire16

Participation Environment Questionnaire16

Procedures17

Data Treatment and Analysis17

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS, FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSIS18

Results18

Description of the Population18

Data Results19

Discussion26

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION28

Summary29

Implications31

Conclusions31

Recommendations33

REFERENCES34

APPENDIX - A37

APPENDIX - B38

APPENIDX - C40

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Cerebral concussion (referred to as concussion in this document) often results in functional, not structural damage. As a result, this injury can be difficult to identify and manage. It is estimated that between 1.6 and 3.8 million sports-related brain injuries occur each year.1 Approximately 1.5 million of these are estimated to be concussions. In some individuals the signs and symptoms may be delayed in presentation (Rosenbaum, 2009). Because of this variability in presentation, and general lack of awareness concerning concussion in the athletic community3-5, many concussions go unidentified. In conjunction with the difficulty of identifying a concussion, are motivations of athletes and coaches.

This study is meant to investigate the psychological, sociological, and environmental reasons that contribute to high school athletes' failure to fail in reporting concussion symptoms. Research investigating the health behaviors and motivations of athletes are critical (Mueller, 2001). The knowledge gained could be used to help improve injury prevention initiatives, athlete education, athlete non-reporting, and onsite treatment ...