LE3 .A278 2020

2020

King, Colin

Acadia University

Bachelor of Kinesiology

Honours

Kinesiology

Kinesiology

Introduction: Due to an increase of media coverage surrounding stories of athlete mental health issues, there has also been an increase in research within the same field. However, the specific intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence mental health states during concussion recovery are currently underdeveloped. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify and further explore various intrinsic and extrinsic factors that impacted athlete mental health following a concussion. Methods: Seventy-one university-aged (47 females, 24 males) students participated in an online questionnaire exploring their history of sport-related concussions and mental health. Responses were analyzed to identify emerging themes that were further deconstructed during semi-structured interviews with 10 participants (5 female, 5 males). Results: Various intrinsic and extrinsic factors impacting mental health states following a concussion emerged from the data, with a strong suggestion for further education on proper concussion management amongst primary care healthcare practitioners. Furthermore, athletic identity derived from social influences and self-identification may have discouraged transparency in reporting symptoms. Conclusion: The results of this study identified several important factors that negatively impacted mental health during the recovery from a concussion. Recognition of these factors may allow healthcare professionals to appropriately prescribe earlier physical activity and approach each athlete with increased sensitivity towards their injury.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3427