Concussions linked to poor academic standing among adolescents

Key takeaways

• High school students who had a history of concussion may be more likely to face poor academic standing than those without concussions.
• The association was stronger in those with a history of repeated concussions (RR = 1.5; 95% CI 1.26-1.78).
• The findings were not consistent across all demographics; the researchers found racial and ethnic disparities.

A study published in Injury Prevention revealed that adolescents with a history of concussion had a 25% greater risk for being in poor academic standing than those without a concussion history.

Researchers reported that the risk increased for those who had repeated concussions.

“School-based injury prevention efforts, including promotion of helmet use, school screening for concussions and adherence to return-to-play and return-to-learn guidelines, to reduce multiple concussion in sports, particularly for racial and ethnic groups most affected, may prove beneficial to students with concussion,” Julian Takagi-Stewart, of the Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center in Seattle, and colleagues wrote.

For the study, Takagi-Stewart and colleagues sought to understand the connection between a history of concussion in the last year and academic performance among high schoolers in the United States. They evaluated data from more than 10,000 adolescents who participated in the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Almost 80% of students were in good academic standing, but nearly 15% of the students said they had suffered at least one sports- or activity-related concussion in the past year.

While having at least one concussion in the past year increased the risk for poor academic standing (RR = 1.25; 95% CI, 1.1-1.42), overall, the association between a history of a single concussion and poor standing was not significant (RR = 1.11; 95% CI, 0.95-1.29), according to the researchers. However, they found that the association was stronger in those who had a history of repeated concussions (RR = 1.5; 95% CI, 1.26-1.78).

Takagi-Stewart and colleagues also found that most students who reported zero concussions were female (50.9%), while male students were more likely to report one or more concussions (53.1% and 63.5%, respectively). In addition, Black students represented a higher proportion of students with two or more concussions, at 15.6%, compared with students with one or zero concussions (9.4% and 10.6%, respectively).

The association with concussion history and poor academic standing was found only among white students or those in the “other” race and ethnic category. However, the researchers wrote that “a myriad of explanations can be invoked to describe this finding,” like sample size issues, so there is a need for caution when interpreting this result. They also noted that they were unable to analyze changes in academic standing after a concussion, which could impact findings.

Future studies, they wrote, “are needed to examine the involvement of race and ethnicity in the association between concussions and school outcomes.”

References:

• Concussions at school may affect academic performance. https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/concussions-at-school-may-affect-academic-performance/. Published Sept. 16, 2022. Accessed Oct. 4, 2022.
• Takagi-Stewart J, et al. Inj Prev. 2022;doi:10.1136/ip-2022-044568.