Personality and social determinants of health predict adolescent comfort and honesty reporting sports-related concussion symptoms.

Abstract

Proper diagnosis is essential in mitigating risk associated with sports-related concussion (SRC); however, 50% of SRCs remain undiagnosed due to unreported symptoms. The current study aimed to identify the most clinically-relevant, attainable personality and social determinants of health variables that are associated with honesty and comfortability reporting symptoms in 317 adolescents (M_age = 17.8, SD = 0.97, female = 55.0%, white racial identity = 81.4%). Three variables emerged as significantly associated with symptom disclosure outcomes. Openness to experience was positively associated with comfort and honesty in symptom disclosure, while impulsivity and pressure to continue playing were negatively associated with these outcomes. Importantly, increased pressure to continue playing was the most salient factor associated with symptom disclosure. These results underscore the importance of considering these specific variables when tailoring SRC intervention and prevention efforts at the individual, environmental, and systemic levels.