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The Psychosocial Impact of Sports-Related Concussion in Elite Youth Ice Hockey Players
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- Author / Creator
- Jubinville, Andrea L.
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Concussion can have adverse long term effects in the cognitive and behavioral development of children and adolescents. Research continues to highlight the fact that children and adolescents are more susceptible to concussion and take longer to recover from this injury. At present, there is a paucity of research evaluating the long-term effects of concussion in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine the social, emotional, and behavioral functioning of elite youth ice hockey players at baseline and post-concussion. Participants included 76 elite youth ice hockey players between 13-17 years from Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta. Control participants were matched to injured players at the time of injury. Participants completed the Behavior Assessment Scale for Children, Self Report Questionnaire (BASC-2, Adolescent Form) at baseline and 7 days and 3 months post-concussion. The results of the first analysis which examined group changes in psychological functioning using a 2 x 3 (group-by-occasion) fixed effect ANOVA with repeated measures on the second factor showed no significant findings. Athletes in the concussed group were similar to the athletes in the non-injured control group on the 5 composites and 16 subscales of the BASC-2. Results examining change at the individual level using the Reliable Change Index (RCI) showed slightly more concussed athletes (15.8%) with both reliable worsening and clinically meaningful scores on the BASC-2 compared to control participants (10.5%) at 7-10 days post injury. However, at 3 months post injury, there was no difference, as 15.8% of concussed athletes and 15.8% of control participants showed both reliable worsening and clinically meaningful scores on the BASC-2. Although the findings are promising in suggesting a favorable psychological outcome for youth athletes after concussion, it is still important for clinicians to evaluate and monitor psychological functioning after injury, as some athletes may develop ongoing psychological concerns requiring intervention.
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- Subjects / Keywords
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- Graduation date
- Fall 2015
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Doctor of Philosophy
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- License
- This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.