A - 28 Mastering Concussion Reporting: Does Previous Injury and Education Play a Role in Reporting Skill?
Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether previous injury (PI) and/or concussion education (ce) significantly predicted collegiate athlete reporting skill (RS). It was hypothesized that both PI and ce would be significant predictors of RS. Methods A cross-sectional study design was implemented, and collegiate athletes (n = 105; age = 19.77 ± 1.23; sex = 53% female) from two institutions were included in the study. Participants were administered a demographic questionnaire to determine PI and ce prior to enrollment, and the Reporting Skill Scale (5-items) was administered to measure RS. A composite score (range: 1–5) was calculated where higher values indicated greater RS. A stepwise multivariable linear regression was used to determine the predictive value of PI and ce on RS (a priori p < 0.05). Results A high percentage of the sample reported PI (n = 52, 49%), received ce (n = 83, 78%), and had high levels of RS (4.27 ± 0.68). The stepwise multivariable linear regression generated a one predictor model where ce significantly predicted RS (F(1,105) = 4.804, p = 0.03, R2 = 0.05, β = 0.35, 90% CI [0.33, 0.67]), whereas PI did not significantly predict RS (p = 0.83, β = −0.22). Conclusions The study revealed that ce partially predicts RS in collegiate athletes. Although the predicted variance was small, this highlights that educating athletes on the steps needed to report an injury is better suited for influencing the psychomotor domain of concussion reporting than simply experiencing a PI. Determining an athlete’s RS, including the factors that influence it, can aid clinicians in identifying athletes that may not fully understand how to report a concussion following injury.