TY - JOUR
T1 - Sex Differences in Recovery Trajectories of Assessments for Sport-Related Concussion Among NCAA Athletes
T2 - A CARE Consortium Study
AU - Caccese, Jaclyn B.
AU - Master, Christina L.
AU - Buckley, Thomas A.
AU - Chrisman, Sara P.D.
AU - Clugston, James R.
AU - Eckner, James T.
AU - Ermer, Elsa
AU - Harcum, Stacey
AU - Hunt, Tamerah N.
AU - Jain, Divya
AU - Kelly, Louise A.
AU - Langford, T. Dianne
AU - Lempke, Landon B.
AU - McDevitt, Jane
AU - Memmini, Allyssa K.
AU - Mozel, Anne E.
AU - Perkins, Susan M.
AU - Putukian, Margot
AU - Roby, Patricia R.
AU - Susmarski, Adam
AU - Broglio, Steven P.
AU - McAllister, Thomas W.
AU - McCrea, Michael
AU - Pasquina, Paul F.
AU - Esopenko, Carrie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.
PY - 2024/6
Y1 - 2024/6
N2 - Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine sex differences in recovery trajectories of assessments for sport-related concussion using Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) Consortium data. Methods: National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes (N = 906; 61% female) from sex-comparable sports completed a pre-season baseline assessment and post-sport-related concussion assessments within 6 h of injury, 24–48 h, when they initiated their return to play progression, when they were cleared for unrestricted return to play, and 6 months post-injury. Assessments included the Standardized Assessment of Concussion, Balance Error Scoring System, Brief Symptom Inventory-18, Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT), Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-3 symptom evaluation, Clinical Reaction Time, King–Devick test, Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen, 12-item Short-Form Health Survey, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Results: Only the Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen Total Symptom Score at the 24–48 h timepoint (p = 0.005) was statistically significantly different between sexes. Specifically, female athletes (mean = 60.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 51.5–70.4) had higher Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen Total Symptom Scores than male athletes (mean = 36.9, 95% CI 27.6–49.3), but this difference resolved by the time of return-to-play initiation (female athletes, mean = 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–2.9; male athletes, mean = 4.1, 95% CI 1.5–10.9). Conclusions: Sport-related concussion recovery trajectories for most assessments were similar for female and male National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes except for Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen symptoms within 48 h of sport-related concussion, which was greater in female athletes. Female athletes had a greater symptom burden across all timepoints, suggesting that cross-sectional observations may indicate sex differences despite similar recovery trajectories.
AB - Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine sex differences in recovery trajectories of assessments for sport-related concussion using Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) Consortium data. Methods: National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes (N = 906; 61% female) from sex-comparable sports completed a pre-season baseline assessment and post-sport-related concussion assessments within 6 h of injury, 24–48 h, when they initiated their return to play progression, when they were cleared for unrestricted return to play, and 6 months post-injury. Assessments included the Standardized Assessment of Concussion, Balance Error Scoring System, Brief Symptom Inventory-18, Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT), Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-3 symptom evaluation, Clinical Reaction Time, King–Devick test, Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen, 12-item Short-Form Health Survey, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Results: Only the Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen Total Symptom Score at the 24–48 h timepoint (p = 0.005) was statistically significantly different between sexes. Specifically, female athletes (mean = 60.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 51.5–70.4) had higher Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen Total Symptom Scores than male athletes (mean = 36.9, 95% CI 27.6–49.3), but this difference resolved by the time of return-to-play initiation (female athletes, mean = 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–2.9; male athletes, mean = 4.1, 95% CI 1.5–10.9). Conclusions: Sport-related concussion recovery trajectories for most assessments were similar for female and male National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes except for Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen symptoms within 48 h of sport-related concussion, which was greater in female athletes. Female athletes had a greater symptom burden across all timepoints, suggesting that cross-sectional observations may indicate sex differences despite similar recovery trajectories.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85180515680&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s40279-023-01982-2
DO - 10.1007/s40279-023-01982-2
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85180515680
SN - 0112-1642
VL - 54
SP - 1707
EP - 1721
JO - Sports Medicine
JF - Sports Medicine
IS - 6
ER -