Assessing Symptoms in Adolescents Following Sport-Related Concussion: A Comparison of Four Different Approaches.
This study compared post-concussion symptom endorsements on the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) between a clinical open-ended interview, clinician-guided PCSS, parent-report PCSS, and computer-based PCSS in youth athletes with sport-related concussion (SRC). Participants included 54 patients aged 13-17 years (M = 15.19, SD = 1.29, 51.8% male) with a diagnosed SRC seen at a concussion clinic. Participants were administered a computer-based version (COMP) of the PCSS followed by clinical open-ended symptom interview (OPEN) and clinician-guided PCSS (GUIDED). Participants' parents concurrently and independently endorsed their children's symptoms by completing the PCSS in the waiting room (PARENT). Total number of symptoms reported and total symptom severity score were analyzed and compared across the four PCSS administration methods. Results revealed significantly lower total number of symptoms for OPEN compared to GUIDED (p = .002), PARENT (p < .001), and COMP (p = .006); and significantly lower total severity score for OPEN compared to GUIDED (p = .04) and PARENT (p < .001). These data support using the PCSS as a structured method of assessing post-concussion symptoms and question the utility of unstructured interview methods for assessing symptoms in youth athletes with SRC.
a Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation/Office for Sport Concussion Research , University of Arkansas , Fayetteville , Arkansas.
R J
RJ
Elbin
b Department of Orthopedia Surgery , University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania.
Jordan
J
Knox
c UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program- Department of Orthopedic Surgery , University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania.
Nathan
N
Kegel
d Department of Psychology , Saint Joseph's University , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania.
Philip
P
Schatz
a Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation/Office for Sport Concussion Research , University of Arkansas , Fayetteville , Arkansas.
Harrison B
HB
Lowder
c UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program- Department of Orthopedic Surgery , University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania.
Jonathan
J
French
e Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic , Tallahassee , Florida.
Scott
S
Burkhart
c UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program- Department of Orthopedic Surgery , University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania.
Michael W
MW
Collins
c UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program- Department of Orthopedic Surgery , University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania.
Anthony P
AP
Kontos
D000293:Adolescent; D056352:Athletes; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D038223:Post-Concussion Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013177:Sports; D063189:Symptom Assessment
adolescents; mTBI; post-concussion symptom scale; sport-related concussion; symptoms