Personality Predictors of Sports-Related Concussion Incidence Analysis of Data From a Large, Heterogeneous Undergraduate Sample

Objective Studies investigating the associations between personality and sports-related concussion are limited. The current study aimed to address this gap by examining whether specific personality dimensions predicted self-reported sports-related concussion outcomes. Design This study included 1141 undergraduate students (M-age = 19.47, SD = 2.14, female = 64.5%) who completed a battery of online personality measures and self-reported sports-related concussion items. The self-reported sports-related concussion outcomes included a single diagnosed sports-related concussion incident (i.e., diagnosed sports-related concussion incidence) and incidents of multiple diagnosed sports-related concussions (i.e., multiple diagnosed sports-related concussion incidents). Analyses included splitting data randomly into training and validation data sets. Multivariate logistic regression models were then fit to each data set to determine predictors of sports-related concussion. Results In both training and validation data sets, extraversion and experience seeking were found to be positively and most strongly associated with both sports-related concussion outcomes, whereas motor inhibition was found to be negatively associated with both outcomes. Additional personality dimensions showed differential relations with each sports-related concussion outcome. Conclusions The current study highlights the importance of considering personality dimensions in the context of self-reported sports-related concussion outcomes, as there are differential relations between personality dimensions and these outcomes. Thus, prevention efforts for sports-related concussion may benefit from evaluating additional athlete factors, like personality traits.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the associations between personality dimensions and sports-related concussion outcomes. The results showed that extraversion and experience seeking were positively associated with both outcomes, while motor inhibition was negatively associated with both outcomes. Other personality dimensions showed differential relations with each outcome.