Sport culture and communication among middle school athletes, parents, and staff: A qualitative study

Middle school (MS) is an intermediary level of education between elementary and secondary school that typically includes students aged 10–15 years. There is limited research within the MS sport setting, particularly related to sport-related injury prevention. This qualitative study aimed to better understand the sport culture within MS sports and the communication strategies used among invested groups (i.e., athletes, parents, staff inclusive of coaches and school nurses). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 athletes, 20 parents, and 18 staff (e.g., coaches, school nurses) from seven MS in two school districts during the 2018/19 and 2019/20 school years. Topics focused on understanding school- and sport-related factors related to education, safety, and communication. Analysis used a consensual qualitative research tradition, in which the research team discussed individually developed themes and categories from transcribed interviews, with the goal of coming to a consensus and creating a codebook. Throughout the coding process, the research team would reconvene to discuss coding decisions until consensus was reached. This study focuses on the themes of sport culture and communication. Dominant categories identified within sport culture related to participants noting why they were interested in MS sports, and their struggles with their perceived roles and engagement (e.g., helping parents stay engaged, finding coaches, oversight of school nurses). Competitiveness and safety could have conflicting roles and priority. Dominant categories identified within communication centered around limited communication between coaches and parents. Technological assistance (e.g., phone apps, websites) was available, but often varied by school and sport. Concussions were seldom discussed unless during the preseason meeting or when one occurred. Findings highlight that the MS sport settings may struggle with incorporating primary prevention into their cultures and ensuring reliable communication among individuals. Novel and tailored approaches to injury prevention are needed to help ensure buy-in and proper implementation

Association between Sensation-Seeking Behaviors and Concussion-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, Perceived Norms, and Care-Seeking Behaviors among Collegiate Student-Athletes

There are limited data connecting personality and behavioral tendencies and traits related to concussion care-seeking/disclosure behaviors and minimal research exists surrounding the relationship between risky behaviors, sensation-seeking, and concussion-related outcomes. This study examined the association between sensation-seeking and a student-athlete’s concussion-related knowledge, attitudes, perceived social norms, and concussion care-seeking/disclosure behaviors (intention to disclose concussion symptoms, perceived control over symptom disclosure, self-removal from play due to concussion symptoms, continued play with concussion symptoms, and disclosure of all concussions at the time of injury). The current study utilized a retrospective cohort of collegiate student-athletes at a single National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institution. Separate multivariable linear regression models estimating mean differences (MD) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) estimated the association between sensation-seeking and concussion knowledge, concussion attitudes, and perceived social norms. Separate multivariable binomial regression models estimating adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) and 95%CI estimated the association between sensation-seeking and intention to disclose concussion symptoms, perceived control over symptom disclosure, self-removal from play due to concussion symptoms, continued play with concussion symptoms, and disclosure of all concussions at the time of injury. All models were adjusted for sex, sport participation, and concussion history. Higher sensation-seeking was significantly associated with less favorable concussion attitudes (adjusted MD = 1.93; 95%CI =-3.04,-0.83), less favorable perceived social norms surrounding concussion (adjusted MD =-1.39; 95%CI =-2.06,0.72), and continuing to play while experiencing concussion symptoms (adjusted PR = 1.50; 95%CI = 1.10, 2.06). Studentathletes with increased sensation-seeking could be at risk for failing to disclose a concussion, decreasing athlete safety and resulting in less optimal care post-injury. Results will inform future theory-based concussion education programs which consider behavioral tendencies and traits as well as sport culture to promote concussion care-seeking/disclosure and individualized interventions based on risky behavior engagement