Post-concussion Care-seeking for Children Injured in Youth Sport: The Role of Parents' Knowledge and Attitudes

Background: Young athletes suffering from a concussion should be assessed by a trained health care provider. However, many concussions are never diagnosed because children and their parents do not seek care. We examined whether parents’ knowledge and attitudes towards concussion were associated with post-concussion care-seeking for their children.

Methods: A cohort of 214 youth sport parents [(63% female; parent age: 44.1(±6.5 yrs); child age: 11.6±(1.9 yrs)] completed a pre-validated concussion knowledge (max possible score=28), attitudes (max possible score=63) and care-seeking survey. Higher knowledge and attitude scores represented more favorable scores. Parents reported number of: diagnosed concussions, times their child displayed signs/symptoms of concussion following a head impact, and care-seeking behaviors following these events. The main outcome was care-seeking for all potential concussions (all-care group) vs. not (lower-care group). 

Results: Twenty-six percent (n=55) of parents reported that their child had ≥ 1 potential concussion. The majority of these parents (72%, n=40) did not follow-up with a medical provider after each event. Mean attitude score was 51.5(±1.6) in the all-care group and 48.1(±4.2) in the lower-care group. Mean knowledge score was 23.6(±2.5) in the all-care group and 23.6±(2.9) in the lower-care group. More favorable parental attitudes towards concussion were positively associated with care-seeking (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.1, 2.8). Parents’ knowledge was not associated with better care-seeking (OR: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.7, 1.3).

Conclusions: While concussion knowledge is undoubtedly important, parental attitudes were more important in predicting care-seeking. Future parental interventions should stress the importance of prompt care for all potential concussions.