Concussion history is associated with poor sleep quality in adolescent athletes: a cross-sectional study

Study objectives: While previous research has primarily focused on the immediate effects of concussion within the first year post-injury, this study examines the persistent effects of concussion on subsequent sleep quality in adolescent soccer players.

Methods: This study utilized a cross-sectional design, recruiting a convenience sample of adolescent athletes from US Youth Soccer camps. Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess their sleep quality. Athletes were also asked to report sport participation information, any past occurrence of concussion or knee injury, and any sport-related injury in the past 12 months. Independent Samples t-tests were performed to identify significant differences in PSQI scores between injured and non-injured participants.

Results: A total of 177 participants (103 male, 14.61±1.88 years) were included in the analysis. The concussion injury group exhibited later bedtimes (difference: 0.32±0.05 hours; p=0.047), fewer hours of sleep (difference: 0.56±0.11 hours, p=0.015), and more frequent sleep disturbances (p=0.012). Furthermore, these athletes reported lengthened sleep latency (difference: 2.55±3.36 minutes, p=0.016) and higher levels of daytime dysfunction (p=0.041) following their concussion injuries. Moreover, athletes in the concussion injury group displayed worse sleep quality scores (difference: 0.42±0.06, p<0.001) and higher total PSQI scores (difference: 1.91±0.41, p<0.001). No significant differences were found based on past knee injury or sport-related injury in the past 12 months.

Conclusions: These findings suggest the need for targeted interventions aimed at improving sleep quality in adolescent athletes with a history of concussion.