Citation

Alsalaheen B, Li Y, Almeida A, Eckner J, Freeman J, Popovich M, Streicher N, He X, Lorincz M. Clin. J. Sport. Med. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/JSM.0000000000000959

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the factor structure of the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-5 (SCAT5) symptom scale in adolescents on their initial presentation to a concussion clinic within the typical recovery period after concussion (ie, <30 days). We hypothesize that the SCAT5 symptoms represent various clinically meaningful groups. A secondary purpose was to examine the effects of sex on the factor structure of the SCAT5 symptom scale. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional analysis. SETTING: Tertiary, institutional. PATIENTS: Nine hundred eighty-one adolescents (45% women) aged between 13 and 18 years. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Adolescents completed the SCAT5 symptom scale. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The factor structure of SCAT5 examined using a principal axis factor analysis.

RESULTS: A 5-factor structure model explained 61% of the variance in symptoms. These 5 factors are identified as Energy (17%), Mental Health (13%), Migrainous (13%), Cognitive (9%), and Vestibulo-Ocular (9%). A similar 5-factor model emerged for each sex, and the proportion of variance in symptoms explained by the 5-factor model was comparable between the sexes.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this report indicate that the SCAT5 symptoms aggregated into 5 delineated factors, and these factors were largely consistent across the sexes. The delineation of symptoms into 5 factors provides preliminary validation for the presence of different concussion phenotypes. Confirmatory factor analysis is warranted to examine the applicability and clinical utility of the use of the 5-factor structure in a clinical setting.

Language: en