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Study: Female athletes more likely than males to report concussion symptoms

An X-ray of what a brain concussion can look like. (Photo: Getty Images)

With new knowledge about the impact and cause of concussions being shared with young athletes themselves, one point of emphasis in youth sports is the self-reporting of possible concussion symptoms.

In this respect, according to a recent study, young men and women differ greatly.

According to a piece published in the latest issue of the Journal of Athletic Training, young female athletes are far more likely than their male counterparts to report concussive symptoms.

The study — performed by researchers from Youngstown State University, Michigan State University and Duquesne University — looked at a total of 288 high school athletes across seven sports (198 males, 68.8%; 90 females, 32.2%) in the mid-Michigan region.

Among the key points made by the study released by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association were these:

  • High school males and females had similar concussion knowledge, but females were more likely to use that knowledge to report a sport-related concussion.
  • Males were 4 to 11 times more likely than females to not report a sport-related concussion for reasons focused on the reactions and perceptions of others.
  • Large percentages of male and female athletes did not report a sport-related concussion because they did not think it was serious.
  • Theory-based interventions are warranted to overcome the stigmas associated with the male sport culture.

It would appear old habits die hard. The study appears to hit on some of the fundamental differences between males and females and how they interact with their teammates, peers and coaches.

As the study suggests, this knowledge will serve researchers and those involved in athletics well as they develop more specialized education materials and risk reduction interventions for sports-related concussions.

You can read the entire study here.

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