Concussion beliefs in varsity athletes: Identifying the good, the bad and the ugly

Abstract

Objective Identify and describe attitudes and intentions towards personal concussion risk and protective behaviours among varsity athletes. Determine subgroups of athletes characterized by problematic intentions towards concussion prevention and management behaviours. Design Cross-sectional survey. Main outcome measures Varsity athletes (N = 175; 60% male; 55.4% contact athletes; 56.6% history of concussion) completed a survey examining attitudes and intentions towards personal risk and concussion-management behaviours. Cluster and discriminant analyses were used to identify athlete risk response subgroups on intention items. The clusters were examined for differences in attitudes towards concussion prevention behaviours, demographics and concussion exposure. Results A substantially problematic subgroup of athletes (28% of the sample) reported low intent to engage in post concussion management practices or primary prevention behaviours. These individuals reported high concussion-risk acceptance and very low belief in the efficacy of concussion-management behaviours. They were also more likely to have sustained a concussion. Two other clusters demonstrated more acceptable behavioural intentions towards concussion prevention and management, with one holding model attitudes and intentions. Conclusions Varsity athletes exhibit one of three different patterns of intentions and attitudes towards concussion prevention and management behaviours. Athletes in one of these groups are at much greater risk of concussion injury and poorly follow recommended treatments. Intervention programmes need to target and aim to change these problematic intentions and attitudes to improve the effectiveness of concussion prevention and injury management.