no guts, no glory: the price she pays to play the game
TRANSCRIPT
The Price She Pays to Play the Game: A Study onFemale vs Male Athletes’ Experiences with ConcussionClemson University: Jimmy Sanderson, PhD & Melinda R. Weathers, PhDPink Concussions: Katherine Snedaker, LMSW
NO GUTS, NO
GLORY
What do we know about concussion?• Media Reports • Personal Experience• Research
Most Existing Research is PhysiologicalOur study looked at communication issues
Why do athletes continue to play after experiencing concussive symptoms?
Do female athletes hide concussions as often as males?
Do females athletes hide their concussions for the same reasonsas males?
The ProblemFemale athletes receive nearly 2x as many concussions as male athletes in the same sports with same rules
After a concussion, females tend to: • have more severe symptoms • take longer to recover than
males
Our Study MethodsSnowball Sampling Gender specific photosAge 18+
Use of Social MediaTwitterFacebookInstagram
Online Survey 40 Questions16 Open Ended Questions
Total Participants529 female
314 male
Answered online questions Athletic experiencesReporting or hiding head injuriesReasons for continuing to play
Female Participants 19.5 = average age of 1st concussion
A variety of sports soccer, lacrosse, rugby ,equestrian, skiing, and snowboarding
The Female Participants averaged…
• 4 concussions diagnosed by AT/MD (range 1-21)
• 6 concussions if added hidden concussions (range 1-33)
• 29.5 years old at time of survey (range 18-64 years)
• 19 years old at their first concussion
47% of female athletes concussed outside of sports (n=245)
They averaged 2 concussions outsides sports (range 1-9)
Male Participants 17.9 = average age of 1st concussion
A variety of sports ranging from football, rugby, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, wrestling, baseball, basketball
*THERE IS NO MENTION OF THE WORD CONCUSSION
Why didn’t you report your symptoms?Lack of AwarenessLack of Perceived SeverityLack of ResourcesSports Culture Allegiance to Team
Conforming to Culture
Lack of Awareness
Allegiance to Team
Why do athletes continue to play after experiencing concussive symptoms?
Conclusions
Lack of AwarenessLack of Perceived SeverityLack of ResourcesSports Culture Allegiance to Team
Do female athletes hide concussions as often as males?
Did female athletes in our studyhide concussions as often as males?
Do females hide concussions for the same reasons as males?
Women were more likely to not report due to:Lack of awareness Lack of resourcesSports cultural norms
Men were more likely to not report due to:Allegiance to teamLack of Perceived Severity
Female AthletesIncrease Awareness Increase Resources
“Want to keep playing”
Male AthletesBest for Team
Explain Severity
Design ConcussionEducation
Concussion Education needs to teachcommunication skillshow to advocate for one’s healthhow to reporting early signshow to report team mates
All athletes need accessibletrustedproper medical care