Parents’/guardians’ experiences with their adolescents’ prolonged recovery from a sport-related concussion

Abstract

Sport-related concussions (SRCs) occur at alarming rates among adolescents and evidence suggests that adolescents experience more severe and longer-lasting symptoms compared to other age groups. Developmentally, adolescence is a time when youth become less reliant on their parents, establish their personal identity, and rely more on other social support networks (e.g., peers, teammates). However, previous studies show that parents play a prominent role in the recovery process from an SRC, especially in situations where recovery is prolonged. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of parents/guardians of teens who were recovering from a concussion and whose symptoms were persistent. Participants ( N = 12) were individually interviewed to better understand how they navigated and advocated for their teen during their prolonged recovery. An inductive content analysis revealed eight thematic categories that were interpreted with a developmental lens: (a) difficulties enforcing cognitive and physical rest, (b) concerns about depression and isolation, (c) observing struggles with athletic identity, (d) feelings of frustration, helplessness, and stress, (e) challenges of a hidden injury, (f) decisions about returning to sport, (g) being lied to about symptoms, and (h) offering strategies and practical advice. The themes illustrate how challenging and complicated the recovery process can be for parents of teenagers in particular, which is supported in previous concussion studies and the broader developmental literature. These results reinforce the idea that taking a biopsychosocial approach to care is best in order to adequately support parents/guardians and adolescents during the SRC recovery process.