Examining the association between psychosocial functioning and concussion symptom severity in youth

Guidelines recommend examining psychosocial variables as contributors to postconcussive symptoms. However, few studies examined this relation in a clinic-referred sample and fewer accounted for parent perspective, limiting practitioners implementation of this guidance. Therefore, this longitudinal study examined youth and parent-reported psychosocial variables and their association with concussion symptom severity in a clinic-referred sample of youth receiving treatment for concussion.

Youth (n = 121; mean age = 15.3 years) with a recent concussion and their parents completed measures assessing youth depression, anxiety, academic stress, quality of life and concussion symptom severity at the initial treatment appointment and again approximately three-months later or at discharge, whichever came first.

Differences were observed in psychosocial functioning across parent and youth report. Youth-reported depression was strongly associated with concussion symptom severity whereas parent-reported depression, academic stress, and quality of life were significantly related to concussion symptom severity. Exploratory findings of the relation between psychosocial variables at initial evaluation and concussion symptom severity at follow-up are offered.

Results offer guidance on the underlying psychosocial variables that may be useful to consider when developing interventions for youth recovering from concussion, especially those with a prolonged recovery.