Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Mar;7(2):124-9.
doi: 10.1177/1941738115571570.

Assessment of parental knowledge and attitudes toward pediatric sports-related concussions

Ann C Lin  1 , Garrett A Salzman  2 , Shelby L Bachman  2 , Rita V Burke  1 , Tracy Zaslow  3 , Carolina Z Piasek  4 , Bianca R Edison  3 , Anita Hamilton  3 , Jeffrey S Upperman  1
Affiliations

Assessment of parental knowledge and attitudes toward pediatric sports-related concussions

Ann C Lin et al. Sports Health. 2015 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Parents of young athletes play a major role in the identification and management of sports-related concussions. However, they are often unaware of the consequences of concussions and recommended management techniques.

Hypothesis: This study quantitatively assessed parental understanding of concussions to identify specific populations in need of additional education. We predicted that parents with increased education and prior sports- and concussion-related experience would have more knowledge and safer attitudes toward concussions.

Study design: Cross-sectional survey.

Level of evidence: Level 5.

Methods: Participants were parents of children brought to a pediatric hospital and 4 satellite clinics for evaluation of orthopaedic injuries. Participants completed a validated questionnaire that assessed knowledge of concussion symptoms, attitudes regarding diagnosis and return-to-play guidelines, and previous sports- and concussion-related experience.

Results: Over 8 months, 214 parents completed surveys. Participants scored an average of 18.4 (possible, 0-25) on the Concussion Knowledge Index and 63.1 (possible, 15-75) on the Concussion Attitude Index. Attitudes were safest among white women, and knowledge increased with income and education levels. Previous sports experience did not affect knowledge or attitudes, but parents who reported experiencing an undiagnosed concussion had significantly better concussion knowledge than those who did not.

Conclusion: Parents with low income and education levels may benefit from additional concussion-related education.

Clinical relevance: There exist many opportunities for improvement in parental knowledge and attitudes about pediatric sports-related concussions. Ongoing efforts to understand parental knowledge of concussions will inform the development of a strategic and tailored approach to the prevention and management of pediatric concussions.

Keywords: brain concussion; knowledge; parents; pediatric sports injury; traumatic brain injury.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no potential conflicts of interest in the development and publication of this article.

References

    1. Bloodgood B, Inokuchi D, Shawver W, et al. Exploration of awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of traumatic brain injury among American youth athletes and their parents. J Adolesc Health. 2013;53:34-39. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heads up: concussion. http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/headsup/. Accessed March 3, 2014.
    1. Chrisman SP, Schiff MA, Chung SK, Herring SA, Rivara FP. Implementation of concussion legislation and extent of concussion education for athletes, parents, and coaches in Washington State. Am J Sports Med. 2014;42:1190-1196. - PubMed
    1. Coghlin CJ, Myles BD, Howitt SD. The ability of parents to accurately report concussion occurrence in their bantam-aged minor hockey league children. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2009;53:233-250. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cohen JS, Gioia G, Atabaki S, Teach SJ. Sports-related concussions in pediatrics. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2009;21:288-293. - PubMed