B-135: Concussion Symptoms in Female Adolescent Cheerleaders

Abstract

Objective: Concussion is one of the most common injuries in cheerleading, but little is known about differences in post-injury concussion symptoms reported by female cheerleaders relative to other female athletes. This study compared post-injury symptoms of female cheerleaders and females in other sports to explore possible differences in symptom presentation. Method/Data Selection: 351 female adolescents (aged 12-18) diagnosed with a sport-related concussion due to cheerleading (n=56), basketball (n=85), soccer (n=143), or volleyball (n=67) were seen at a North Texas Concussion Registry (ConTex) concussion clinic an average of 12.57 days post-injury. Participants completed a medical history and Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-5 (SCAT-5©) Symptom Evaluation. ANCOVA evaluated group differences between [cheerleaders (n=56) vs. non-cheerleaders (n=295)] in (1) SCAT-5© symptom severity and (2) number of symptoms endorsed at initial visit. Covariates were history of previous concussion and/or psychological disorder due to potential influence on symptom presentation. Results/Data Synthesis: Female cheerleaders reported greater symptom severity (M, SD) (41.54, 29.34) than other female athletes (31.35, 23.91) [F(1, 350) = 8.18, p = .005, η2p = .023], and endorsed a greater number of symptoms (13.77, 6.25 vs. 11.93, 6.47), though this difference was not significant [F(1, 347) = 3.77, p = .053, η2p = .011]. Conclusions: In this sample of female adolescent athletes, cheerleaders reported greater concussion symptoms than other athletes. Symptom severity scores were consistent with prior adolescent sport-related concussion literature (around 20–35), with cheerleaders on the higher end of reported ranges. Future studies should examine specific psychosocial or sport-specific contextual factors that may contribute to an increased symptom burden among cheerleaders.