Sport Concussion Assessment Tool Symptom Inventory: Healthy and Acute Postconcussion Symptom Factor Structures

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Neurology
• Psychology

Background:

• Previous research on concussion symptom inventories lacked discrimination between acute and subacute periods.
• The Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) is an acute assessment with unique symptom inclusions.
• Understanding symptom factors is crucial for accurate concussion diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the symptom factor structure of the 22-item SCAT symptom inventory in healthy and acutely concussed athletes.
• To document the frequency of unique SCAT symptom inventory items.
• To differentiate symptom presentations in acute concussion.

Main Methods:

• A case series design was employed.
• Participants included 1334 healthy and 200 acutely concussed high school and collegiate athletes.
• Exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) were conducted on SCAT symptom inventory data.

Main Results:

• In healthy athletes, a 3-factor solution emerged: cognitive fatigue, migraine, and affective symptoms.
• In acutely concussed athletes, a 3-factor solution included migraine fatigue, affective, and cognitive ocular symptoms.
• The unique SCAT symptom items generally loaded onto these factors in the concussed group.

Conclusions:

• The SCAT symptom inventory demonstrates distinct factor structures in healthy and acutely concussed athletes.
• Symptom factor analysis aids in understanding the multifaceted nature of concussion.
• These findings support the utility of the SCAT in acute concussion assessment.