Determinants of Coach Communication About Concussion Safety in US Collegiate Sport

Communication between coaches and athletes about concussion safety can reinforce or undermine a sport culture in which concussion under-reporting is often endemic. This study tested a model in which self-reported coach communication about concussion safety was predicted by factors including concussion knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, sex of the coach, and sex of the team coached. Participants were 997 coaches of contact and collision sports teams competing in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, II, or III. Concussion attitudes and beliefs were the strongest predictors of communication, and the small effect of knowledge on communication was transmitted nearly entirely through its effect on attitudes and beliefs. Much of the variability in communication was attributable to the sex of the coach and the sex of the team coached. These results serve as a starting point for the design of coach-targeted interventions that encourage communication about health and safety with athletes.