Validation of the SCAT5 and Child SCAT5 Word-List Memory Task

The Sports Concussion Assessment Tool-5th Edition (SCAT5) and the child version (Child SCAT5) are the current editions of the SCAT and have updated the memory testing component from previous editions. This study aimed to validate this new memory component against the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) as the validated standard. This prospective, observational study, carried out within The Royal Children's Hospital Emergency Department, Melbourne, Australia, recruited 198 participants: 91 with concussion and 107 upper limb injury or healthy sibling controls. Partial Pearson correlations showed that memory acquisition and recall on delay aspects of the SCAT5 were significantly correlated with the RAVLT equivalents when controlling for age (p < 0.001, r = 0.565 and p < 0.001, r = 0.341, respectively). Factor analysis showed that all RAVLT and SCAT5 memory components load on to the same factor, accounting for 59.13% of variance. Logistic regression models for both the RAVLT and SCAT5, however, did not predict group membership (p > 0.05). Receiver operating curve analysis found that the area under the curve for all variables and models was below the recommended 0.7 threshold. This study demonstrated that the SCAT5 and Child SCAT5 memory paradigm is a valid measure of memory in concussed children.