Impact Of Sport Specialization On Psychosocial Factors And Concussion Outcomes In High School Students

Sport Specialization (SS) can be associated with an increased risk of injuries, higher severity of depressive symptoms, and reduced health-related quality of life. SS subdomains may further contribute to unique cognitive appraisal of injuries (e.g., concussion), as social and motivational factors, rather than physical factors, may uniquely contribute to the clinical presentation of symptoms. However, limited work has comprehensively evaluated relationships between SS, psychosocial factors, and concussion outcomes. Purpose: To evaluate relationships between SS, psychosocial functioning, concussion history, and concussion symptom severity in a high school population. Methods: 376 high school students (15 ± 1 y; 34% Female) completed questionnaires pertaining to psychosocial functioning (depression, exercise self-efficacy), concussion history, and concussion symptom severity. The Wisconsin Sport Specialization Questionnaire (WISSQ) was used to provide an overall SS score as well as subdomain scores for social, physical, and motivation aspects of SS. The PROMIS Depression Short Form 4a measured depression, and the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale evaluated exercise self-efficacy. The Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3) measured concussion symptom severity, and the Consensus Head Acceleration Measurement Practices (CHAMP) checklist provided additional concussion history data. Bivariate correlations evaluated relationships between all variables collected. Results: Greater social SS scores were associated with higher depression (r = .28) and concussion symptom severity (r = .16, p’s < .05). Greater social SS scores were associated with lower exercise self-efficacy (r = -.24, p < .05). Overall SS scores were correlated with concussion symptom severity (r = .16, p = .05). There were no other significant correlations. Conclusion: Our results indicate that high social SS scores correlate with higher depression, greater concussion symptom severity, and lower exercise self-efficacy. There were no significant correlations between SS and concussion history. These findings underscore the need for further research into the effects of SS on psychosocial functioning, concussion history, and symptom severity to inform guidelines that protect young athletes' overall well-being.