A - 49 The Impact of Contact Sport Participation on Long-term Symptomatology in Former Adolescent Athletes

Abstract Purpose To evaluate if mental health and neurological symptoms differ between former athletes who played contact and non-contact sports several years after they were treated for a concussion. Method In 2022 a retrospective survey was distributed to former adolescent athletes who were treated at a regional concussion center from 2010–2017. The sample was dichotomized into those who played contact and non-contact sports. The primary outcomes were symptoms of anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; GAD-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9; PHQ-9), and neurobehavioral symptoms (Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory; NSI). Demographic and initial injury characteristics were extracted from medical records. Inferential (t-test) and correlational (Spearman) statistics were run, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results The sample included 127 athletes who were assessed 8.4 ± 1.5 years post-concussion. Of these, 92 participated in at least one season of contact sports (10.9 ± 6.7 seasons), and 35 participated exclusively in non-contact sports (16.7 ± 10.7 seasons). There were no significant differences in current PHQ-9 (t = −0.322, p = 0.748), GAD-7 (t = −0.715, p = 0.476), or NSI (t = −0.004, p = 0.997) scores between groups. The number of seasons playing a contact sport did not correlate with PHQ-9 (Spearman = −0.086, p = 0.339), GAD-7 (Spearman = −0.100, p = 0.266), or NSI (Spearman = −0.067, p = 0.462) scores at follow-up. Conclusions Long-term neurologic and mental health outcomes were similar for former athletes who played contact and non-contact sports. Moreover, there was no relationship between time spent playing contact sports and these outcomes. This suggests that the type of sport played may have a limited impact on long-term health outcomes in this sample of former amateur athletes.