Diagnosed and Nondisclosed Concussions Among Young Athletes With ADHD

Within a sample of young athletes with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), to explore the frequency of disclosed and nondisclosed concussions, identify reasons the youth did not report a suspected concussion, and learn the frequency that the youth still practiced or played in a game after a suspected concussion.

Cross-sectional surveys were completed by 448 youth athletes (ages 8-14 years) and a corresponding parent (or caregiver). As part of larger respective surveys, questions regarding ADHD status and concussion history were asked of the youth and parents. Data regarding 40 youth with ADHD were available for analyses. Due to the low frequency of concussive injuries within the total sample, descriptive statistics and qualitative techniques were used to contextualize the data.

The youth with ADHD were not more likely to experience at least one diagnosed concussion or nondisclosed concussion as compared to non-ADHD controls. Three of 40 youth athletes with ADHD (8%) had been diagnosed with a concussion, whereas 5 (13%) self-reported a nondisclosed concussion. Not wanting to lose playing time and not wanting to miss a game were the two most endorsed reasons for concussion nondisclosure.

More research is needed to understand the present results considering other research that puts similarly aged athletes with ADHD at greater risk for concussion. Education for youth with ADHD might help reduce the number of nondisclosed concussions that have a more complex recovery trajectory in this population.