Effects of Pre-Collegiate Sport Specialization on Cognitive, Postural, and Psychological Functions: Findings from the NCAA-DoD CARE Consortium

Tsung-Yeh Chou, Jaclyn B. Caccese, Yu-Lun Huang, Joseph J. Glutting, Thomas A. Buckley, Steven P. Broglio, Thomas W. McAllister, Michael A. McCrea, Paul F. Pasquina and Thomas W. Kaminski
Additional contact information
Tsung-Yeh Chou: Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Delaware, 547 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Jaclyn B. Caccese: School of Health and Rehabilitation Science, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, 453 W 10th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Yu-Lun Huang: Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, National Taiwan Normal University, No. 162, Sec. 1, Heping E. Rd., Da’an Dist., Taipei City 106, Taiwan
Joseph J. Glutting: School of Education, University of Delaware, 106 Alison Hall West, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Thomas A. Buckley: Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Delaware, 547 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Steven P. Broglio: Michigan Concussion Center, School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, 830 N University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Thomas W. McAllister: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Indiana University, 340 West 10th Street Fairbanks Hall, Suite 6200, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
Michael A. McCrea: Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
Paul F. Pasquina: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
Thomas W. Kaminski: Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Delaware, 547 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19716, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-12

Abstract: Background: Early sport specialization has been associated with an increased risk of musculoskeletal injuries and unfavorable psychological outcomes; however, it is unknown whether sport specialization is associated with worse cognitive, postural, and psychological functions in first-year collegiate student-athletes. Methods: First-year collegiate multisport (MA) and single-sport (SA) student-athletes were identified using a pre-collegiate sport experience questionnaire. The cognitive, postural, and psychological functions were assessed by the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT), Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC), Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), and Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI-18). Results: MA student-athletes performed higher in cognitive outcomes (e.g., higher ImPACT visual memory composite scores [ß = 0.056, p < 0.001]), but had higher psychological distress (e.g., higher BSI-18 global severity index [ß = 0.057, p < 0.001]) and no difference in postural stability ( p > 0.05) than SA student-athletes. Conclusions: This study indicated first-year collegiate athletes with a history of sport specialization demonstrate lower cognitive performance but decreased psychological distress and no differences in static postural stability as compared to their MA counterparts. Future studies should consider involving different health measures to better understand the influence of sport specialization on overall physical and mental health.

Keywords: sport sampling; youth sport; balance; mental health; cognition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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