title: Impact of prior concussions on health-related quality of life in collegiate athletes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate how self-reported sport-related concussion history affects health-related quality of life in collegiate athletes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  Division I university, Division II university, and a junior college.
  
  
  METHODS
  : Three hundred two collegiate athletes (210 men, 92 women).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants completed a demographic information sheet and concussion history form; they were then grouped by number of previous self-reported concussions, designated as 0, 1-2, or 3+.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Medical Outcomes Short Form (SF-36) and the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences between groups were found for the bodily pain, vitality, and social functioning subscales of the SF-36. The 3+ group had significantly lower scores for bodily pain (48.1 +/- 8.9) compared with the 1-2 group (P = 0.028, 52.1 +/- 7.7) and 0 group (P < 0.01, 53.5 +/- 8.3), for vitality (52.4 +/- 8.4) compared with the 0 group (P = 0.011, 55.9 +/- 8.6), and for social functioning (48.5 +/- 9.4) compared with the 1-2 group (P = 0.028, 51.6 +/- 7.3) and 0 group (P = 0.003, 51.9 +/- 8.1). Significant differences were noted on the HIT-6 total score. The 3+ group reported greater impact of headache (46.7 +/- 6.4) than the 1-2 group (P = 0.05, 44.6 +/- 6.4) and 0 group (P < 0.001, 42.9 +/- 5.8). The 1-2 group also had higher HIT-6 scores than the 0 group (P = 0.033).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that a collegiate athlete's perception of bodily pain, vitality, social functioning, and headache is adversely affected by previous sport-related concussions. However, by incorporating general and specific outcome measures into the standard evaluation of sport-related concussion, the clinician can better determine how the athlete is responding to treatment and recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, A.T. Still University, Mesa, Arizona 85206, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Kuehl
authors.forename: Alison R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.forename: Steven E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.forename: Tamara C Valovich
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: McLeod
mesh_terms: D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000150:complications*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult