Structural validity of a self-report concussion-related symptom scale

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Neuroscience
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Concussion symptom assessment is crucial for athletes.
• Self-report measures require validation for accuracy.
• The Graded Symptom Checklist (GSC) is used to assess concussion severity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the factorial validity of the GSC in a large sample of male, high-school athletes.
• To determine if the GSC accurately measures concussion-related symptom severity.
• To refine the GSC for optimal use in concussion assessment.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the GSC's factorial validity.
• The study included 1089 nonconcussed, male, high-school football players.
• LISREL 8.50 software was utilized for the statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• A three-factor model showed good fit for the 16-item GSC.
• An excellent model-data fit was achieved with a 9-item version of the GSC.
• A single second-order factor, concussion symptomatology, explained the three factors.

Conclusions:

• The study supports the factorial validity of the GSC as a summative measure of concussion symptoms.
• The validated 9-item GSC structure comprises somatic, neurobehavioral, and cognitive symptoms.
• These symptom clusters are effectively represented by a single higher-order factor: concussion symptomatology.