Megan Smith, CMN 490 Ryerson University

Lightning Talk:

Problem or Objective:

My research topic is on the attitudes and experiences varsity athletes hold towards concussions. The topic of concussion is always relevant in sports, between athletes, coaching staff and management, and training staff. In professional sports, there have been attempts made to look out for the health of athletes who suffer from a concussion such as ‘concussion protocols’. Unfortunately, these protocols are not consistent between each league and professional sport. For my research I have chosen to look at varsity sports and their athletes who have suffered from a concussion and/ or know of a teammate who has shared the same experience. I want to find out how serious concussions are viewed in varsity sports between coaching staff and the players. Are the players viewed more as a product for the overarching business of varsity sports and they want them back playing as soon as they can, or is the athletes health a prime concern? Additionally, I want to learn about the attitudes of the athletes towards concussions in sports. I am doing this research because the topic of concussions has always struck me. As someone who watches a lot of sports (hockey, football, baseball, etc,.), I know as a fan that athletes who experience concussions sometimes never fully recover, and are almost always put back in to play before they are symptom free. I have also experienced the horrible side-effects of concussions first-hand through my boyfriend’s family. His sister and mother were hit from behind over two years ago, and still are not back to normal. They will experience effects such as memory loss, and loss of balance for many more years. Moreover, I will analyze the attitudes and experiences of non-athletes who have suffered from a concussion, and compare them to the experiences of varsity athletes. Through phenomenological research, I will be looking at the strictly the genuine experiences of those who I interview and survey, and not attempt to sway their answers.

Research Question(s)

What are the attitudes varsity athletes have about concussions in sports? More specifically, what are the repercussions of getting concussed, and do the athletes believe the head injury is handled with enough severity from coaching staff and management? Additionally, are the attitudes of non-athletes towards concussions similar or different?

Procedures/ Methods:

The research method I have used is phenomenological research. What is phenomenological research you may ask? Other than it being a very long word, this form of research focuses on what people experience, and moreover how they interpret those experiences. Furthermore, it strives to answer the question “What’s it like to experience blank”? The measurements I have chosen to conduct my research through are interviews with varsity athletes, and surveys from the public. The interviews only include varsity athletes, and in these interviews, my objective was to receive honest answers to all of my research questions. I wanted the athletes to feel comfortable to be honest, because I would not want them to feel swayed in any direction. I tried to keep my research questions specific and close ended, but not too narrow so that there is room to expand on one point if I receive any information from the athletes that provoke me to dive deeper into one of their answers and attitudes. Moreover, these interviews were one-on-one in person, not in a group setting. For the surveys, these were targeted at the general public. Even though the basis of my research is on varsity athletes and their experiences with concussions, I believed it would create a strong study to compare the effects of concussions in athletes and non-athletes and how their attitudes may be similar or different. Thus, providing me with an interesting analysis on why concussions should be taken seriously in varsity sports. For example, if a non-athlete admits that since they're concussion they have experienced a weaker sense of balance, muscle weakness, dizziness etc., then that provides a strong argument for why when athletes experience a concussion it should be taken even more seriously if they are risking playing sports again after the injury, because being involved in a physical sport too soon would amplify those symptoms even more.

The key variables to consider in my study include but are not limited to: the emotions of the subjects, experience and level of education on the topic, and gender. Although my research is quantitative and numbers based, I still need to consider the variable of emotion, as discussing this topic may be difficult and triggering for some of the subjects. Therefore, my research is also qualitative, as my method is phenomenological and focussed on the experience of my subjects. With this in mind, I provided a pre-participation advisory for the athletes that the interview may trigger unpleasant emotions.

Analysis:

My primary research was my only source of research to conduct this study. I used secondary research as reading material to learn more about the topic before conducting my study, however, there was not enough available pertaining to my specific topic of the experiences of varsity athletes who suffered from concussions. Therefore, you will notice that my analysis consists solely of the results of my primary research and data from interviews with varsity athletes and surveys sent out to the public. I interviewed three male Ryerson varsity athletes, and received 52 participants in my survey. I originally hoped to interview both male and female Ryerson athletes, however, with the time of year being the playoffs during my interview process, I had very little access to athletes. The following are the most significant take aways from my research pertaining to my research questions.

1) The average recovery period for Varsity athletes after suffering from a concussion is between a few days to 2 weeks. This is indicating the end of noticeable psychical or mental symptoms which would prevent them from returning to play. There is still the possibility of recurring symptoms upon another hit to the head in play, or even a simple accidental bump. Symptoms mentioned by athletes included headaches and difficulty focussing.

2) 72.7% of those who have suffered from a concussion, athlete or not, say the area of their life that has been affected in a negative way the most was their mental health. Second was physical health, and third was education.

3) Based off of my survey to the public, the most common 3 words used by all participants to describe the initial reaction to their concussion are “confused”, “scared”, and “dazed”.

4) 72.7% of those who have suffered from a concussion have fully recovered. This is a very positive result, because a head injury is quite scary for someone to suffer from. While there are still 27.3% of people who haven't fully recovered, 72.7% recovered is still a positive number for those who are concerned if they will ever fully recover .

5) A common initial reaction among the varsity athletes I interviewed who experienced a concussion during play, was that they broke into tears and began to cry almost immediately after the impact. In this moment, the athletes described their feelings as helpless and embarrassed.

6) 100% of athletes I interviewed who received a concussion while playing for a varsity team, said their student athletic therapist placed them on a strict concussion and head injury protocol. This involved being pulled out of play for two weeks, and until they showed no symptoms of cognitive impairment for 24 hours. The test consisted of the athlete biking on a stationary bike for 10 minutes everyday, with the required heart rate of beats per minute increasing each day. Success meant the athlete could bike for 10 minutes straight at 180 bpm, and not show any symptoms of cognitive impairment such as headaches for 24 hours. Therefore, the athletes felt as though their health was of priority and concern of their coaching staff.

researcher Bio