The Effects of Concussions on Mental Health in Athletes — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

The Effects of Concussions on Mental Health in Athletes

Name: Hannah Midlock
Major: Athletic Training
Hometown: Minooka, IL
Faculty Sponsor: Laurie Jensen
Other Sponsors: Daniel Ruffner, Alicia Belant
Type of research: Course project

Name: Delanie Menconi
Major: Athletic Training
Hometown: Aurora, IL
Faculty Sponsor: Laurie Jensen
Other Sponsors: Daniel Ruffner, Alicia Belant
Type of research: Course project

Name: Emma Self
Major: Athletic Training
Hometown: Buffalo Grove, IL
Faculty Sponsor: Laurie Jensen
Other Sponsors: Daniel Ruffner, Alicia Belant
Type of research: Course project

Abstract

Abstract

The effects of concussions have recently become a topic of interest in the football industry. Approximately 3.8 million athletes suffer a traumatic brain injury annually. Post-injury, an athlete may suffer with their mental, musculoskeletal, neurocognitive and cardiovascular health. Currently there is data supporting the detrimental effects of traumatic brain injuries and its effects on the mental health of football players. Our findings were extrapolated from a combination of multiple cohort studies with the primary purpose of answering the question, “Can exposure to concussions in football players increase their risk of depression?” Mental health conditions, such as depression, were assessed by MRI, ECG and mental health assessment tools. The participants completed objective cognitive and self-reported behavioral/mood tests as part of a larger ongoing longitudinal study. These tests from multiple studies are self reported on symptoms post concussion and several years after having multiple concussions. The results of the research show that there is a small but significant correlation between traumatic brain injuries and depression in football athletes based on all the data that was collected from multiple studies. The relationship of high post concussive symptom scores and hospital admission were strong predictors of depression within the football athletic population.