Exploring the Mental Health Experiences of Student-athletes who Have Sustained a Concussion

Exploring the Mental Health Experiences of Student-athletes who Have Sustained a Concussion PDF Author: Sophia Mbabaali
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Background: Research on concussions and mental health/ illness among athletes has focused on the prevalence of mental health disorders in this population. There is currently limited amounts of research looking at the mental health experience of athletes who have sustained a sport-related concussion. Aim: The aim of this research was to conduct an exploratory study using the two-continua model of mental health as a guiding theoretical framework to answer the following research question: What is the mental health experience of student-athletes who have sustained a concussion? Methods: Semi-structured interviews using open-ended questions were conducted with eight student-athletes, and an inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcripts. Results: Three themes emerged from the transcripts: a) it's not something you have control over, b) to be or not to be: navigating the unwritten rules of being an athlete, and c) finding a way through and moving forward. These findings highlight the challenges and mental health states student-athletes faced as they progressed through their concussion experience. Implications: This research can be used to help physicians, sport psychologists, athletic therapists, coaches, and educators better understand the lived experience of student-athletes who have sustained a sport-related concussion.

Exploring the Mental Health Experiences of Student-athletes who Have Sustained a Concussion

Exploring the Mental Health Experiences of Student-athletes who Have Sustained a Concussion PDF Author: Sophia Mbabaali
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Background: Research on concussions and mental health/ illness among athletes has focused on the prevalence of mental health disorders in this population. There is currently limited amounts of research looking at the mental health experience of athletes who have sustained a sport-related concussion. Aim: The aim of this research was to conduct an exploratory study using the two-continua model of mental health as a guiding theoretical framework to answer the following research question: What is the mental health experience of student-athletes who have sustained a concussion? Methods: Semi-structured interviews using open-ended questions were conducted with eight student-athletes, and an inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcripts. Results: Three themes emerged from the transcripts: a) it's not something you have control over, b) to be or not to be: navigating the unwritten rules of being an athlete, and c) finding a way through and moving forward. These findings highlight the challenges and mental health states student-athletes faced as they progressed through their concussion experience. Implications: This research can be used to help physicians, sport psychologists, athletic therapists, coaches, and educators better understand the lived experience of student-athletes who have sustained a sport-related concussion.

Reintegration Experiences of Collegiate Athletes After Sustaining a Sport-related Concussion

Reintegration Experiences of Collegiate Athletes After Sustaining a Sport-related Concussion PDF Author: Mary Catherine Lee
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Brain
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Concussions are a public health concern that can affect many aspects of an individual's life from a physical, mental, and social health perspective. Additionally, student-athletes are often at a greater risk of sustaining a concussion than their fellow non-athlete classmates. Due to their roles as both a student and an athlete, concussed student-athletes often must successfully return to the classroom and to their sport. Thus, they must return to a level of high functioning cognitively, socially, and physically. While the research supports recommendations for the reintegration into school and sport following a concussion, there is little research that investigates the experiences of student-athletes as they navigate these processes. While there has been previous research to explore specific processes for a student-athlete's recovery after sustaining a SRC1-8, there has been very little research investigating the experience of student-athletes as they reintegrate into school and sport after SRC, specifically collegiate student-athletes. While most research involving RTL and RTP protocols has focused on establishing a set of guidelines for clinicians to follow, there has not been much attention given to determining if those guidelines truly benefit the student-athlete. The purpose of this qualitative research study is to investigate the experiences of NCAA student-athletes as they reintegrate into school and sport after SRC. The results of this study could significantly impact patient care and patient outcomes following SRC and promote future research to establish updated protocols that are focused more on the well-being of the student-athlete, instead of focusing on the processes used to return them to school and sport.

Post-concussion Experiences of Collegiate Student-athletes

Post-concussion Experiences of Collegiate Student-athletes PDF Author: Kaitlin Iris Singer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Brain
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
Sports-related concussions are a major public health concern affecting a significant number of collegiate student-athletes. Medical and public health research has addressed every aspect of concussion management processes including concussion education, medical diagnosis, recovery, and returning to sport and classroom. This research has led to several best-practices for concussion management. Since 2010, the NCAA has mandated that its member institutions maintain concussion management policies and procedures. However, the current recommendations, based primarily on medical research, have been found in quantitative studies of the behaviors and practices of athletic trainers, coaches, and student-athletes to be ineffective. To date, no studies have explored the perceptions and experiences of student-athletes post-concussion. The purpose of this study was to understand student-athletes' experiences post-concussion and how their experiences compared to concussion management policy. A qualitative research design was utilized to allow for an in-depth understanding of the student-athlete's perspective on concussion management. Data were collected from interviews with seven current and former NCAA student-athletes from five member institutions representing Division I football, lacrosse, men's soccer, women's soccer, Division II football, and Division III football; and from publicly obtained concussion management documents. The data were analyzed using Tesch's (2013) organizing system and Love's (2003) methods for document analysis. Eight major findings emerged from the data: 1) Symptomology and its effects, 2) Pressure to return, 3) Lack of Knowledge, 4) Inadequate support, 5) No rest, 6) No policy, 7) Double-injury, and 8) Inconsistent alignment between student-athletes' experiences and their institution's concussion policies. None of the student-athletes' experiences aligned with the current best-practices in concussion management. Recommendations for cultural change, NCAA practices, and higher education practices include using warning messaging and PSAs, applying effective preseason education, enforcing implementation of concussion management guidelines, leveraging media partnerships, investing in concussion specialists, and creating a team of support.

Sports-Related Concussions in Youth

Sports-Related Concussions in Youth PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309288037
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 215

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Book Description
In the past decade, few subjects at the intersection of medicine and sports have generated as much public interest as sports-related concussions - especially among youth. Despite growing awareness of sports-related concussions and campaigns to educate athletes, coaches, physicians, and parents of young athletes about concussion recognition and management, confusion and controversy persist in many areas. Currently, diagnosis is based primarily on the symptoms reported by the individual rather than on objective diagnostic markers, and there is little empirical evidence for the optimal degree and duration of physical rest needed to promote recovery or the best timing and approach for returning to full physical activity. Sports-Related Concussions in Youth: Improving the Science, Changing the Culture reviews the science of sports-related concussions in youth from elementary school through young adulthood, as well as in military personnel and their dependents. This report recommends actions that can be taken by a range of audiences - including research funding agencies, legislatures, state and school superintendents and athletic directors, military organizations, and equipment manufacturers, as well as youth who participate in sports and their parents - to improve what is known about concussions and to reduce their occurrence. Sports-Related Concussions in Youth finds that while some studies provide useful information, much remains unknown about the extent of concussions in youth; how to diagnose, manage, and prevent concussions; and the short- and long-term consequences of concussions as well as repetitive head impacts that do not result in concussion symptoms. The culture of sports negatively influences athletes' self-reporting of concussion symptoms and their adherence to return-to-play guidance. Athletes, their teammates, and, in some cases, coaches and parents may not fully appreciate the health threats posed by concussions. Similarly, military recruits are immersed in a culture that includes devotion to duty and service before self, and the critical nature of concussions may often go unheeded. According to Sports-Related Concussions in Youth, if the youth sports community can adopt the belief that concussions are serious injuries and emphasize care for players with concussions until they are fully recovered, then the culture in which these athletes perform and compete will become much safer. Improving understanding of the extent, causes, effects, and prevention of sports-related concussions is vitally important for the health and well-being of youth athletes. The findings and recommendations in this report set a direction for research to reach this goal.

Concussion, Help Seeking, and Mental Health Outcomes in Collegiate Athletes

Concussion, Help Seeking, and Mental Health Outcomes in Collegiate Athletes PDF Author: Brandon Tyler Cooper
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Counseling psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Recently, there has been an increase in the awareness of sport concussion and its potential deleterious effects as progressively more research has been conducted within the past few decades. Despite this increase, there is much about sport concussion and the consequences of sport concussion that are still unknown. The current study aims to examine the prevalence of sport concussion in NCAA collegiate student athletes. Furthermore, this study seeks to investigate the prevalence of underreporting sport concussions as well as the factors that may lead athletes not to seek help for their concussion. To better understand mental health outcomes that follow sport concussion, this study attempts to understand the potential impact sport concussion has on mental health outcomes of depression and suicide ideation. Altogether, 964 student athletes across all three NCAA divisions were surveyed about their experiences in college with sport concussion. Results of this study indicate that there may be a long-term impact of sport concussion on depression and suicide ideation. Additionally, the leading reason student athletes reported they chose to not seek help for their sport concussion was being unsure of the signs and symptoms of concussion. Implications for future research, practice, and advocacy of sport and counseling psychologists are discussed.

Psychological Aspects of Sport-Related Concussions

Psychological Aspects of Sport-Related Concussions PDF Author: Gordon Bloom
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351200496
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
Recognition of concussion as a serious injury, informed by neurological and physiological research, is now commonplace in sport. However, research on the psychology of concussive injury—its psychological implications and outcomes, and psychological interventions for prevention and recovery—has largely been overlooked. This is the first book to explicitly and authoritatively set out the psychological aspects of sport-related concussion from a multidisciplinary and global perspective The book attempts to offer a global understanding of the injury by presenting an historical overview; exploring the psychological implications of sport-related concussion and the influence of gender and sociocultural context on concussive injury and recovery; setting out practical guidance on working with special populations suffering from concussive injuries; and discussing the theoretical and methodological considerations for research on concussion and future directions for this research. Written by a group of leading international experts and offering a hitherto underdeveloped perspective on this crucial area of sports injury research, this book is crucial reading for any upper-level student, researcher, sport scientist, coach, or allied health professional working on sport-related concussion. It is also valuable reading for students and researchers interested in the psychosocial processes that impact injury and recovery or general professional practice in sport psychology.

Mind Body and Sport

Mind Body and Sport PDF Author: NCAA
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781495131752
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


Exploring the Relationship Between Team Characteristics and Mental Health Symptoms Amongst Student Athletes

Exploring the Relationship Between Team Characteristics and Mental Health Symptoms Amongst Student Athletes PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 45

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Book Description
Depression and anxiety are disabling conditions that are particularly prevalent amongst young adults (Wolanin, Hong, Marks, Panchoo, & Gross, 2016). Student athletes must cope with extensive time demands that go beyond those of ordinary young adults, consequently putting them at increased risk to experiencing mental health issues. Numerous factors may influence an athlete's well being, such as gender, injury, and type of sport. This study tests these various factors but also extends previous literature by analyzing the effects of team dynamics on student athlete mental health. An anonymous multi-part questionnaire was sent out to all JMU athletes in the Fall of 2017. Chi square statistical tests were used to determine whether there was a mathematical association between team characteristics and the presence or absence of mental health symptoms. There was a significant correlation between 'pressure' and anxiety (X2 = 13.403, p = .009). In addition, 'inability to trust teammates' and 'not sharing goals of personal improvement' also contributed to increased levels of anxiety. There was a significant correlation between serious injuries and depression (X2 = 4.325, p = .038). Lack of time for social life and inability to effectively manage conflicts within the team both contributed to increased levels of depression as well. Fortunately, the data showed that JMU's student athletes had higher mental health scores than American college students as a whole, according to prior research, and they do feel as though the resources available to them are adequate.

Changes in Mood State Subsequent to Concussion in Collegiate Student-athletes

Changes in Mood State Subsequent to Concussion in Collegiate Student-athletes PDF Author: Denise Vagt
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
Objective: This study examined mood changes that occurred in student-athletes after they sustained a sports related concussion (SRC). Previous research has demonstrated an increase in depressive symptoms following SRC and other non-head related injuries. However, the prevalence and relative intensities of these depressive symptoms in student-athlete populations have not been fully investigated. This study will provide athletes, trainers, physicians, and other related staff with additional information about expected mood changes following injury that will allow swifter and more targeted interventions. Method: All athletes at an NCAA Division II university completed baseline assessments that included both cognitive and affective measures. Athletes who sustained a SRC during the following academic year completed the assessment battery again, including affective measures, at 24-48 hours post trauma, approximately 7-10 days post-trauma, and in follow-up evaluations as needed. A control group of same aged college peers who did not experience a concussion during the time period they participated in the study also completed a brief mood measure at three time points during the study year. Differences among the mood measure scores between the concussed student-athlete group and the control group were examined. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a brief depression screener, was the primary mood measure used. Results: Initial baseline PHQ-9 scores were significantly higher for the SRC group than the control group. Relative change from baseline to post-trauma was significantly different between the groups, with the SRC group demonstrating an increase in depressive symptoms after concussion injury compared to non-injured controls. However, this increase in depressive symptoms resolved and PHQ-9 scores returned to baseline levels for the SRC group at follow-up; PHQ-9 score for the control group remained stable over time. Examination of a brief three item list of mood related symptoms from a larger symptom inventory revealed the same pattern of performance: individuals in the SRC group tended to endorse more negative mood changes with greater severity during their post-trauma evaluation than they did at baseline or follow-up. Conclusions: There is an increase in student-athlete endorsement of depressive symptoms after sustaining a concussion as compared to non-injured controls. However, this increase is not great enough to increase the mean PHQ-9 score into the clinical range, indicating post-trauma depression screening scores, on average, are still in the non-clinical range. After sustaining a concussion injury student-athletes are more likely to report depressive symptoms during the window of 24 hours to 7-10 days post-trauma. This indicates interventions targeted at alleviating mood change after concussion need to be implemented within 1-3 days post-trauma and emphasizes the importance of early detection in this population.

Routledge International Handbook of Sport Psychology

Routledge International Handbook of Sport Psychology PDF Author: Robert J. Schinke
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317692314
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 947

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Book Description
Contemporary sport psychology is a rapidly developing and theoretically rich discipline, and a sophisticated and challenging profession. The Routledge International Handbook of Sport Psychology offers a comprehensive and authoritative guide to contemporary sport psychology in all its aspects. Written by a team of world-leading researchers and practitioners from five continents, including both established scholars and the best emerging talents, the book traces the contours of the discipline of sport psychology, introducing fundamental theory, discussing key issues in applied practice, and exploring the most important themes, topics and debates across the sport psychology curriculum. Uniquely, the book presents comparative studies of the history and contemporary practice of sport psychology in ten countries, including the US, UK, China, Japan, Brazil, Russia and Israel, helping the reader to understand the cultural and contextual factors that shape international practice in sport psychology. As well as covering in depth the core pillars of sport psychology, from motivation and cognition to group dynamics, the book also includes a full section on cultural sport psychology, a vital but under-explored sub-discipline that is having a profound influence on contemporary theory and practice. With 56 chapters and unparalleled range, depth and currency, the Routledge Handbook of International Sport Psychology is an essential addition to any library with a serious holding in sport psychology.