Understanding factors influencing exercise program adherence for youth with persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS).

Background: A significant portion of youth sustain a concussion every year, with around 30% experiencing persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS). Research has shown exercising just below the exertion level that provokes symptoms can lead to more rapid recovery. However, youth often struggle to adhere to exercise recommendations following concussion.

Methods: We conducted structured qualitative interviews (n = 32) with concussed youth and their parents to examine factors influencing motivation to engage in exercise post-concussion. Questions were framed through the lens of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Thematic Analysis was used to code and analyze transcripts.

Results: Four primary factors appeared to motivate youth to exercise after receiving a concussion: 1) social support, 2) accountability, 3) goal setting, and 4) structure. Utilizing the lens of SDT, one could theorize that including social support and accountability helped fulfill the need of relatedness, setting goals helped fulfill the need of autonomy, and providing program structure helped fulfill the need for competence.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that Self-Determination Theory may be a useful frame for examining exercise adherence post-concussion. Incorporating social support, accountability, goal setting and structure could increase the effectiveness of exercise prescription post-concussion and should be the focus of further study.