College students' beliefs and attitudes concerning concussion, and masculinity norms, were examined in relation to stigma and willingness to seek treatment for possible concussion. Beliefs were measured using a revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ). Participants: Participants were 631 undergraduates at a Northeastern university, most of…

Objective: This mixed method study examined how psychosocial factors from the Theory of Planned Behavior and Reasoned Action (TPB/RA) influence health-seeking behaviors after concussion, expanding from student-athlete TPB/RA research to assess the influence of psychosocial factors within a general college population. Participants: Two hundred and…

Background: Little is known about the effectiveness of school district concussion policies on reducing the concussion prevalence among students. Methods: Data from the 2016 School Health Policies and Practices Study and 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey for 10 school districts were linked. The outcome variable was having a sports- or physical…

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…

Background: Concussions are a prevalent injury among youth, and concussion education has the potential to promote positive concussion-related behaviors. Recent recommendations and legislation have increased concussion education provided in schools; however, little is known about the education context, delivery method, development, and evaluation.…

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…

Each year approximately 1.6 to 3.8 million people suffer a sports-related traumatic brain injury (Langlois, Rutland-Brown, & Wald, 2006). Concussions, a common form of mild traumatic brain injury, account for 75% of total brain injuries in the United States (Faul, Xu, Wald, & Coronado, 2010). In sports, concussions account for 1 of every…

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…

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: Sports related concussions continue to be a public health concern and improving reporting behavior a focus of educational programs. While educational programs have addressed changes in knowledge of concussion symptoms, it has been challenging to design educational programs which have lasting effects on reporting behavior. Aims: The…

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…

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is an epidemiologic surveillance system that was established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help monitor the prevalence of behaviors that not only influence youth health, but also put youth at risk for the most significant health and social problems that can occur during…

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),…

Concussion education is an important aspect of concussion prevention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a novel, theory of planned behavior (TPB)-driven concussion education program on secondary school athletes' concussion-reporting relevant cognitions immediately post-intervention and at 3 months follow-up. Data were…