Resilience and recovery from sports related concussion in adolescents and young adults

Introduction Recovery and return to play are important milestones for athletes who sustain sport-related concussions (SRC). Several factors have been shown to influence resolution of post-concussion related symptoms (PCS), but resilience, a trait that reflects the ability to overcome adversity, is another factor that may influence recovery. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of resilience with resolution of symptoms during recovery in adolescents and young adults following SRC. Method This prospective study is part of the North Texas Concussion Registry (ConTex). Subjects (N = 332) aged 13 to 25 years who sustained a SRC within 10 days of presenting to clinic were evaluated at two time points: initial clinical visit and three-month follow-up. Resilience was measured by the self-report Brief Resilience Survey (BRS) and PCS by the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-5 Symptom Evaluation Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS). Recovery was determined by self-reported return to sports/physical activity and percent back to normal. Results Repeated measures ANCOVA and linear regression models showed that lower resilience ratings at initial visit were associated with a greater number and severity of PCSS symptoms along with higher levels of anxiety and depression symptoms during recovery from SRC. At three months, subjects with lower initial resilience ratings were less likely to report feeling back to normal and had greater aggravation of symptoms from physical and cognitive activity even when they had returned to sports/physical activity. Conclusions Lower resilience was associated with greater symptoms and delayed recovery from SRC. Results suggest that resilience may be another important factor to address in recovery from SRC. Future research is needed to examine the extent to which resilience measured after SRC reflects pre-injury characteristics and to better inform the development of interventions to promote resilience during recovery.