A - 12 Relationship Between Risk Propensity and Perceived Concussion Retirement Thresholds in College-Aged Athletes Following Concussion

Abstract Purpose To examine the relationship between risk propensity and perceived number of concussions until retirement among college-aged athletes following concussion and healthy controls. Method A prospective study of college-aged athletes with concussion (<5 days post-injury) and healthy controls was conducted. Participants completed demographics, medical history, injury information, the General Risk Propensity Scale (GRiPS; 8 items, total score = 40, higher scores indicate greater risk propensity), and a concussion retirement question (i.e., how many perceived concussions would you have to sustain before retirement) at the initial visit. Linear regressions (LR) determined the relationship between group (concussion/control), GRiPS total score, and relevant covariates with the number of concussions needed to retire from sport. Results 168 athletes (83 female; age = 20.7 ± 2.1) were included with 96 (57.1%) concussions and 72 (42.9%) controls. Mean GRiPS (concussion: 24.55 ± 7.08; control: 24.49 ± 5.24) and retirement number (concussion: 7.49 ± 13.96; control: 4.89 ± 2.68) were similar (p > 0.05). Univariate LRs supported race (B = 4.24, p = 0.021) and concussion history (B = 3.341, p = 0.048) as significant predictors of perceived number of concussions before retirement, while group (p = 0.121) and GRiPS total score (p = 0.846) were not significant. Multivariate LR did not support an association between GRiPS total score, group, and concussion retirement thresholds, F(2,165) = 1.225, p = 0.297, Adj.R2 = 0.003. When including race and concussion history, the overall model was significant, F(4,161) = 2.689, p = 0.033, Adj.R2 = 039. Race was the only variable significantly associated with retirement thresholds (B = 4.115, p = 0.027). Conclusions Risk propensity and group were not associated with perceived concussion retirement thresholds, suggesting that risk-taking and a current concussion may not play a significant role in an athlete’s perceived concussion retirement decisions. However, there may be other factors, like race, that play a significant role in athlete perceptions and warrant further investigation.