The Impact of a Recent Concussion on College-Aged Individuals with Co-Occurring Anxiety: A Qualitative Investigation

Jonathan Greenberg (), Millan R. Kanaya, Sarah M. Bannon, Ellen McKinnon, Grant L. Iverson, Noah D. Silverberg, Robert A. Parker, Joseph T. Giacino, Gloria Y. Yeh and Ana-Maria Vranceanu
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Jonathan Greenberg: Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR), Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Millan R. Kanaya: Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR), Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Sarah M. Bannon: Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR), Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Ellen McKinnon: Dr. Robert Cantu Concussion Center, Emerson Hospital, Concord, MA 01742, USA
Grant L. Iverson: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and The Schoen Adams Research Institute at Spaulding Rehabilitation, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
Noah D. Silverberg: Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Robert A. Parker: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Joseph T. Giacino: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Gloria Y. Yeh: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Ana-Maria Vranceanu: Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR), Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-12

Abstract: College-aged individuals with anxiety are vulnerable to developing persistent concussion symptoms, yet evidence-based treatments for this population are limited. Understanding these individuals’ perspectives is critical for developing effective interventions. We conducted qualitative interviews with 17 college-aged individuals (18–24 years old) with a recent (≤10 weeks) concussion and at least mild anxiety (≥5 on the GAD-7 questionnaire) to understand the life impact of their concussion. We identified 5 themes: (1) disruption to daily activities (e.g., reduced participation in hobbies and physical activity); (2) disruption to relationships (e.g., reduced social engagement, feeling dismissed by others, stigma, and interpersonal friction); (3) disruptions in school/work (e.g., challenges participating due to light sensitivity, cognitive or sleep disturbance, and related emotional distress); (4) changes in view of the self (e.g., feeling “unlike oneself”, duller, or more irritable), and (5) finding “silver linings” after the injury (e.g., increased motivation). Concussions impact the lives of college-aged individuals with co-occurring anxiety in a broad range of domains, many of which remain largely neglected in standard concussion clinical assessment and treatment. Assessing and addressing these issues has the potential to limit the negative impact of concussion, promote recovery, and potentially help prevent persistent concussion symptoms in this at-risk population.

Keywords: concussion; anxiety; college-age; qualitative methods; thematic analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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