Effect of Hearing Status on Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes of Collegiate Athletes

Context: Collegiate athletes who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (D/HoH) are diagnosed with concussions at a similar rate as athletes who are hearing; however, little evidence exists on knowledge and attitudes of athletes who are D/HoH toward concussions. This study aimed to examine differences in knowledge of and attitudes toward concussions between athletes who are D/HoH and athletes who are hearing. Design: Cross-sectional research design. Methods: Of the 310 athletes who are D/HoH and 430 athletes who are hearing that were invited to participate, 90 athletes who are D/HoH, and 72 athletes who are hearing completed the survey. The Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes Survey was used to quantify knowledge of and attitude toward concussions. The Rosenbaum Concussion Knowledge and Attitudes Survey consists of the concussion knowledge index (CKI) and the concussion attitudes index (CAI) subscales. Linear regressions were run to test the association of hearing status with CKI and CAI scores. Pearson correlations were performed to determine relationships between CKI and CAI for athletes who are D/HoH and athletes who are hearing. Alpha level was set a priori at P <= .05. Results: Athletes who are hearing demonstrated a higher CKI component score (19.58 [2.19]) compared to athletes who are D/HoH (16.14 [3.31]; P < .001). There were no statistical differences in CAI between hearing groups (hearing: 57.18 [8.73], D/HoH: 55.97 [9.92]; P = .41). There was a moderate positive correlation between CKI and CAI (r = .58) for athletes who are D/HoH, while a weak positive correlation (r= .30) for athletes who are hearing was observed. Conclusions: Athletes who are D/HoH have poorer knowledge of concussions but similar attitudes toward concussion as that of athletes who are hearing. Current concussion educational interventions are in written or spoken form which may not be inclusive to athletes who are D/HoH. Health care professionals should consider an athlete's preferred communication mode to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education.