A - 46 Putting Together “Puzzle Pieces” of the Game: Executive Functions in Athletes with Sports-Related Concussion History

Abstract

While previous quantitative research has explored the malleability of executive functions in sports, there’s a gap in understanding athletes’ descriptions and utilization of executive functions during gameplay. Understanding these processes from athletes’ perspectives is crucial for developing relevant assessments, particularly following sports-related concussion (SRC), as well as using accessible athlete-driven language to describing executive function in sports neuropsychology. Thus, our study aimed to explore how athletes deploy executive functions during games and identify the most crucial executive function components for success. 19 Canadian collegiate athletes (ages 18–25; 37% female) with a history of SRC across various sports (soccer, volleyball, rugby, and basketball) were recruited. Participants completed semi-structured interviews via Zoom with a focus on identifying their executive function processes in their respective sports. Thematic analysis, following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) approach, was used to analyze the interview transcripts. We generated three themes: 1) Planning, organizing, and deciding action before actively involved in the play; 2) Problem solving when the contingencies for the pre-planned play changes; 3) Processing and evaluating performance immediately after a play. These results provide nuance to our understanding of executive functions in sport by gaining insight into how athletes think while playing, information that neither tasks nor questionnaires offer. Through qualitative interviews, we discovered athletes engage in various executive processes throughout the game, including strategic planning and problem-solving. Overall, this study highlights specific executive processes employed throughout a game, which may become areas of focus for assessment, interventions, and follow-up for athletes following SRC.