Wittmer Rachael, Buckley Thomas A, Swanik Charles Buz, Costantini Katelyn M, Ryan Lisa, Daly Ed, King Regan E, Daniels Arryana J, Hunzinger Katherine J
Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19713, USA.
Sports (Basel). 2025 Aug 20;13(8):278. doi: 10.3390/sports13080278.
This study examined the prevalence of intentionally unreported and potentially unrecognized concussions in community rugby players and whether nondisclosure reasons vary by sex, position, or playing history. An online survey was completed by 1037 players (41.0% female; mean age 31.6 ± 11.3 years; 10.1 ± 8.1 years playing) who reported diagnosed, unreported, and unrecognized concussions. Poisson regression models estimated prevalence ratios (PRs), and Fisher's exact tests compared reasons for nondisclosure. The diagnosed, unreported, and unrecognized concussion rates were 66.5%, 32.4%, and 42.2%, respectively. Players with diagnosed concussions had a 7.2-fold higher prevalence of nondisclosure and a 2.3-fold higher prevalence of nonrecognition. A longer playing history was linked to greater nondisclosure (PR: 1.2), and males had a higher prevalence of nonrecognition (PR: 1.4). Position and sex were not associated with nondisclosure; position and playing history did not affect recognition. While nondisclosure reasons were mostly consistent across demographics, players with a history of concussion were more likely to report avoiding removal from games or practices (38.5% vs. 13.6%, = 0.021). Concussions are common in community rugby, with high rates of underreporting and unawareness, influenced by experience and prior concussions. These findings underscore the need for better education and reporting systems to improve player safety.
本研究调查了社区橄榄球运动员中故意未报告和可能未被识别的脑震荡的患病率，以及隐瞒原因是否因性别、位置或比赛经历而异。1037名运动员（41.0%为女性；平均年龄31.6±11.3岁；比赛年限10.1±8.1年）完成了一项在线调查，他们报告了已确诊、未报告和未被识别的脑震荡情况。泊松回归模型估计患病率比（PRs），Fisher精确检验比较隐瞒原因。已确诊、未报告和未被识别的脑震荡发生率分别为66.5%、32.4%和42.2%。已确诊脑震荡的运动员隐瞒率高7.2倍，未被识别率高2.3倍。比赛年限越长，隐瞒率越高（PR：1.2），男性未被识别率更高（PR：1.4）。位置和性别与隐瞒无关；位置和比赛经历不影响识别。虽然隐瞒原因在不同人口统计学特征中大多一致，但有脑震荡史的运动员更有可能报告是为了避免被禁止参加比赛或训练（38.5%对13.6%，P = 0.021）。脑震荡在社区橄榄球运动中很常见，报告率低和意识不足的情况很严重，受经验和既往脑震荡的影响。这些发现强调需要更好的教育和报告系统来提高运动员的安全。
