TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - Factors influencing time to return to learn among NCAA student-athletes enrolled in the concussion assessment, research, and education (CARE) study
JO  - Sports medicine
A1  - Memmini, Allyssa K.
A1  - Snedden, Traci R.
A1  - Boltz, Adrian J.
A1  - Benson, Benjamin A.
A1  - Margolin, Eric
A1  - Pasquina, Paul F.
A1  - McAllister, Thomas W.
A1  - McCrea, Michael A.
A1  - Broglio, Steven P.
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - PURPOSE: The aim was to describe the demographic and post-injury factors that influence time to return to learn (RTL) among student-athletes enrolled in the Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) Consortium. <br><br>METHODS: A total of 47,860 student-athletes enrolled in the National Collegiate Athletic Association-Department of Defense (NCAA-DoD) CARE Consortium study from 2014 to 2020, with 1485 sport-related concussions (SRCs) analyzed in the present dataset. Demographic and post-injury characteristics were calculated using descriptive statistics, followed by Kaplan-Meier estimates to examine median time to return to normal academic performance (i.e., RTL) by sex (male, female), baseline psychiatric conditions (depression, anxiety) and/or learning disorder, NCAA division (I, II, III), SRC history (0, 1, 2, 3+), NCAA sport category (contact, limited contact, non-contact sport), and median difference in baseline/post-injury symptom severity scores (< 21, ≥ 21). Further, a multivariable zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression model was used to examine their association with RTL. <br><br>RESULTS: Overall, time to RTL (mean = 4.96 ± 8.24 days, median = 3.0 [interquartile range = 0.0, 6.0] days) was found to be influenced by several factors resulting in earlier trajectories. Notably, nearly 25% of the sample demonstrated immediate RTL (i.e., 0 days). Among student-athletes who did not immediately RTL, males demonstrated a decreased rate in RTL (rate = 0.79; 95% CI 0.66-0.96) compared to females. Further, student-athletes with a ≥ 21 change in symptom severity score (post-injury baseline) demonstrated a higher rate of RTL (rate = 1.47; 95% CI 1.21-1.79) compared to student-athletes with a symptom severity change score < 21. Lastly, male student-athletes demonstrated two times higher odds (odds ratio = 1.95; 95% CI 1.02-3.73) of immediate RTL compared to female student-athletes. No other covariates were associated with time to RTL. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Collectively, the present findings suggest a rapid return to the classroom following concussion. Specifically, males demonstrated higher odds of time to RTL, whereas those with greater differences in symptom severity resulted in a higher rate of time to RTL among those who did not immediately RTL. Ultimately, these findings support prior work emphasizing an individualized approach to SRC management.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0112-1642
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40279-024-01999-1
ID  - ref1
ER  -