There has been concern about the potential sequelae of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in children. This study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development[superscript SM] (ABCD) study to investigate associations between mTBI and behavior and sleep in school-aged children. Generalized additive mixed models were run to examine the…

Concussions are a common occurrence in adolescent sports. While scholarly literature has documented concussion symptoms and their implications, intrinsic and extrinsic factors that may contribute to an athlete's decision to return to play (RTP) following concussion have received less attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the…

This study aimed to describe barriers athletic trainers (ATs) face to implementing expert recommendations for improving athletes' concussion care-seeking behavior. We distributed an electronic survey through the National Athletic Trainers' Association to 9,997 ATs working in secondary schools or collegiate institutions and received 365 complete…

Background: Limited information about school outcomes among children (especially early childhood) with lifetime history of head injury, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), may inhibit efforts to support their academics and physical and mental health. Methods: Baseline data (2016-2018) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD)…

For this study, we explored the association between high school students' reported history of sport- or physical activity-related concussions and persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Data from the 2017 national "Youth Risk Behavior Survey" (YRBS; N = 14,765) was used for this analysis. YRBS is administered to high school…

Background: Sport-related concussions are a major public health problem with only 50% of concussed teens reporting their symptoms. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify individual and institutional factors that contribute to concussion knowledge, attitude, and reporting behaviors among US high school athletes. Methods: The…

Background: More than 460,000 female and male student-athletes compete in college sports each year, with 5.5 concussions reported per 1,000 athlete exposures. The majority of these concussions occurred during competition and are somewhat more likely to be reported by female athletes. Aims: To evaluate moderating effects of gender differences in…

Purpose: Generalized linear mixed-model (GLMM) and Bayesian methods together provide a framework capable of handling a wide variety of complex data commonly encountered across the communication sciences. Using language sample analysis, we demonstrate the utility of these methods in answering specific questions regarding the differences between…

Background: Sports- and recreation-related (SRR) activities are a major cause of adolescent concussions. Most adolescent SRR concussion research has been conducted among public school students. As private schools are qualitatively different from public schools (e.g., location, socioeconomic status, sports played), this study explores the…

History of concussion is associated with substance use. Data from the 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N = 14,765) were used in this study to examine associations between sports- or physical activity-related concussions and current cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use among high school students, and whether other factors moderate those…

Background: Concussion underreporting is endemic, and social norms are an established predictor of concussion reporting behavior. However, pluralistic ignorance--a situation in which most individuals in a group hold the belief that their peers' views differ from their own, despite views actually being similar--has not been studied in this context.…

Reducing concussion risks in athletes depends on self-reporting. Often, athletes decide whether to report concussions or continue playing and risk serious health consequences. Fuzzy-trace theory (FTT) predicts that reliance on gisty, categorical representations of risky decisions, not amounts of risk/reward, encourages risk avoidance and…

Objective: Emerging adulthood is characterized by maturation of executive functions (EF) and changes in health behaviors (HB). Interestingly, EF are bi-directionally related to many specific HB; yet how EF performs in relation to overall patterns of HB engagement is unclear. Groupings of HB and the relationship between these HB groupings and EF…

Purpose: We examined patterns in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) management and recovery exhibited by male and female athletes over the 19-year history of a Division 1 University Concussion Management Program. Methods: We examined 234 diagnosed mTBIs and compared time required to return to baseline on neurocognitive and self-report symptom…

All states have youth sports concussion laws that have helped shape school concussion policy. However, state laws do not specify how schools distribute policy. The present study examined parent, youth, and school personnel's knowledge of school concussion policy in Colorado and ease of access to policy via school website. Youth (n = 1,987),…