A - 15 The Association Between Illness Perception and Post-Concussion Symptoms: A Pilot Study in Collegiate Athletes

Abstract Purpose Illness perception, or the way in which individuals understand and cope with injury or illness, has been extensively studied in the broader medical literature and has been found to have important associations with clinical outcomes across a wide range of medical conditions. There is, however, a dearth of knowledge regarding how perceptions of sports-related concussion (SRC) influence outcome and recovery in athletes. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the association between illness perception and post-concussion symptoms in acutely concussed collegiate athletes. Method College athletes (N = 22) with an SRC diagnosis underwent post-concussion neuropsychological testing, including the completion of several self-report questionnaires, following acute injury. Illness perception was evaluated using the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire; higher scores reflect more negative illness perceptions. Post-concussion symptoms were assessed using a modified version of the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS). A total score was computed, along with the following symptom clusters: affective, cognitive, sleep, and somatic (CI: 0.83–0.91). Linear regressions adjusting for gender evaluated the effect of illness perception on the PCSS total score and symptoms clusters. Results Participants were, on average, 20.7 years of age (SD = 1.1) and the majority were female (72.7%). Results showed significant positive relationships between illness perception and the PCSS total score (p < 0.001, R2 = 0.64) and all four symptom clusters (p’s = 0.007 to <0.001, R2’s = 0.41–0.59). Conclusions Results suggest that illness perception is an important construct to consider in the context of SRC assessment. Furthermore, findings highlight the value of providing psychoeducation to athletes to facilitate their understanding of the expected recovery process following SRC.