The Impact Of State Anxiety On Delayed Memory Recall In College-aged Individuals With Concussion

Recent research has emphasized the association between psychological factors, including state anxiety, and recovery from concussion. There is limited evidence examining the impact of state anxiety on delayed recall in the context of concussion recovery. PURPOSE: To examine the association between state anxiety and delayed memory recall at initial visit and at full medical clearance (FMC) following concussion in college-aged individuals. METHODS:College-aged individuals were administered a demographics survey, the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT-5 or 6), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) during the initial visit (< 5 days of concussion) and FMC (±3 days). The total score for state anxiety (20 items summed) was included from the STAI, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety. Spearman’s correlations examined the association between state anxiety and delayed recall at each time point. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests analyzed changes in state anxiety and delayed recall from the initial visit to FMC (α=.05). RESULTS: Fifty-nine individuals (F=33, μ=21.3 ± 2.8) with concussion were included (See Table 1.) Results indicated non-significant weak associations between state anxiety and delayed recall at initial visit (rs=-0.14, p=0.28) and FMC (rs=0.02, p=0.88). There were no significant differences between state anxiety (Z=-1.69, p=0.09) or delayed recall (Z=-1.69, p=0.09) from initial visit to FMC. CONCLUSIONS: State anxiety was not associated with delayed recall following concussion or FMC in college-aged individuals. There were no differences in state anxiety or delayed recall across recovery, suggesting that anxiety may not impact short-term delayed recall post-concussion. Findings suggest clinicians longitudinally monitoring state anxiety and delayed recall symptoms could be beneficial for treatment planning and concussion recovery outcomes. Table 1. - Participant State Anxiety Scores from STAI and Delayed Recall Scores from SCAT-5/6 in College-Aged Individuals with Concussiona Variable Concussion (n=59) State Anxiety on STAI Initial Visit 45.3 ± 4.4 State Anxiety on STAI FMC 46.6 ± 4.8 Delayed Recall Initial Visit 6.5 ± 2.1 Delayed Recall FMC 7.1 ± 1.9