Are Concussed Collegiate Athletes More Susceptible to Depression: A Critically Appraised Topic
Date
2-14-2024
Faculty Mentor
Christopher Clark, Kinesiology; Jennifer Burgett, Kinesiology; David Kean, Kinesiology
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Submission Type
Conference Proceeding
Location
11:15-11:25am | Houston Cole Library, 11th Floor
Description
Context: The interdependent relationship between concussions and depression in collegiate athletes has become increasingly popular over the last few years. There is an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million sport-related concussions annually in the United States, making it one of the leading public health problems. The United States Department of Health and Human Services states that depression is most prevalent in the 18-25 age group. The prevalence of the risk of depression in collegiate student-athletes ranges from 15.6-33.2%, with first-year students and females typically reporting more symptoms. The purpose of this critically appraised topic is to investigate if collegiate athletes are more susceptible to depression, after sustaining a concussion.
Methods: A computerized search was conducted in October 2023. The search terms used were “collegiate athletes”, “concussion”, and “depression”. Electronic databases used were JSU library, SPORT Discus, PubMed and Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria included: studies conducted with current collegiate athletes, peer-reviewed studies, articles published after 2000, and studies that reported data on mental health along with concussions. Exclusion criteria included: studies that included international sports, studies that solely talked about retired athletes, and studies that were in any language other than English. Validity of the selected studies was determined using the PRISMA and STOBE checklists. One author independently reviewed the studies, scored each paper, and reviewed the completed appraisals to come to a consensus on the study quality.
Results: The literature search retrieved 1,710 total articles and 1,707 articles were excluded based on the exclusion criteria, resulting in three studies. When researching the long-term effects of sport-related concussions, one article concluded that currently competing athletes and/or retired athletes displayed impaired mental health, particularly with depression symptoms. Sport-related concussions and mental health outcomes, studies concluded that depression symptoms were the most frequently considered and reported mental health outcome in concussion research. Furthermore, predictors and prevalence of post-concussion depression symptoms concluded that a large portion of collegiate athletes demonstrated an increase in depression after concussion.
Conclusions: The clinical bottom line demonstrates an association between concussion and depression. It is essential that athletic trainers and other healthcare professionals are aware of this connection to advocate for athletes that may experience depressive symptoms after a sport-related concussion. Future research should investigate other patient populations such as other professional sports and coping strategies in the management of depression.
Keywords
student research, kinesiology
Rights
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Disciplines
Sports Sciences
Recommended Citation
Hood, Courtney, "Are Concussed Collegiate Athletes More Susceptible to Depression: A Critically Appraised Topic" (2024). JSU Student Symposium 2024. 26.
https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/ce_jsustudentsymp_2024/26