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Effects of Concussion in Adolescent Students: Perceptions and Performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2019

Brian Rieger ,
Lawrence Lewandowski ,
Heather Potts  and
Nicole Shea
Brian Rieger*
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Lawrence Lewandowski
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Heather Potts
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Nicole Shea
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Brian Rieger, Upstate Medical University, Concussion Center, 505 Irving Ave. Suite 1249, Syracuse, NY 13210. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare adolescent students with and without concussion on a battery of academic, neurocognitive, and socioemotional measures and assess the aftereffects of concussion across domains of functioning. Methods: Twenty-four adolescents (ages 13–17) reporting postconcussion symptoms were compared to 24 controls matched for age and gender across a battery of tests and surveys. Results: After correcting for multiple comparisons, there were no significant differences on any neuropsychological measures. Similarly, there were no significant group differences on academic measures of vocabulary, word recognition, or reading comprehension. Self-reported concussion symptoms were much greater for students with concussion, as were self-reports of anxiety, depression, and somatization symptoms. Parents also rated those with concussion as having greater depression and somatization symptoms, but not to a degree that survived Bonferroni correction. Lastly, those with concussion reported a significantly greater number of school problems and academic concerns. Conclusions: Results indicated that adolescents who reported postconcussion symptoms do not perform differently from peers on most neurocognitive and academic tasks, yet they showed considerably more worry, somatization, academic concerns, and feelings of inadequacy than matched controls. The findings suggest that interventions to address psychological and academic stress may be indicated for adolescents symptomatic from concussion.

Keywords

ConcussionPediatricPsychologicalNeuropsychologicalAcademicSelf-awareness
Type
Regular Research
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 25 , Issue 8 , September 2019 , pp. 777 - 786
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2019. 

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