Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39837588›Full record

ArticleBritish journal of sports medicine2025

Concussion and depressive symptoms in high school students: impact of physical activity and substance use.

Mathew J Wingerson, Patrick Carry, Rebekah Mannix, Timothy Meier, Katherine L Smulligan, Julie C Wilson, David R Howell

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in British journal of sports medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Mathew J WingersonDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Patrick CarryDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Rebekah MannixDivision of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Timothy MeierDepartment of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Katherine L SmulliganDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Julie C WilsonDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
David R HowellDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, Colorado, USA david.howell@cuanschutz.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2955-0191

Funding

NIH Prior Approval Process ProfessionalUL1TR002535 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI SOKOL, RONALD J. · 2018 to 2022
$51.1M
Modulating Exercise Dosage to Improve Concussion Rehabilitation: A Randomized Clinical TrialR01HD108133 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI David R. Howell · 2022 to 2026
$3.3M
Sex Differences in Brain Structure and Function After Sports-Related ConcussionR01NS100952 · NINDS · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI KOERTE, INGA KATHARINA · 2017 to 2022
$2.9M
Improving quantitative recovery outcomes from concussion with aerobic exercise trainingR03HD094560 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI HOWELL, DAVID R. · 2018 to 2019
$318k
A novel smartphone-based tool to quantify dual-task gait performance for concussion assessmentR43NS108823 · NINDS · CONTROL ONE, LLC · PI LUGADE, VIPUL · 2019 to 2019
$150k
2022 Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine (PRiSM) Annual ConferenceR13AR080451 · NIAMS · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI HOWELL, DAVID R. · 2022 to 2024
$45k
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002535NIAMS NIH HHS R13 AR080451NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD108133NICHD NIH HHS R03 HD094560NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS100952NINDS NIH HHS R43 NS108823
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo investigate the association between concussion history and depressive symptoms after adjusting for physical activity, substance use, and illicit drug use.

methodsWe analysed data from the Adolescent Behaviour and Experiences Survey, a nationally representative survey of adolescents in the USA. Our independent variables were history of concussion in the 12 months preceding survey completion; self-reported weekly physical activity (days per week with >60 min of physical activity, 0-7 scale); substance use over the past 30 days (yes vs no) and illicit drug use throughout lifetime (yes vs no). Our dependent variable was participant-reported sadness/hopelessness over the past 12 months (yes vs no).

resultsAmong 7499 adolescents (9th-12th grade, 50.4% female), reporting one or more concussions over the past year was not associated with the odds of depressive symptoms (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 0.93 to 1.37, p=0.21). Each additional day of physical activity per week was associated with a lower odds of depressive symptoms (OR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.89 to 0.94; p<0.0001). Illicit drug use (OR ever vs never: 2.48; 95% CI: 1.96 to 3.13; p<0.0001) and substance use (OR yes vs no: 2.77; 95% CI: 2.34 to 3.29; p<0.001) were associated with a higher odds of depressive symptoms.

conclusionsAdjusting for physical activity, substance use and illicit drug use, concussion was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms. This novel discovery informs clinicians as they counsel adolescents with concussion; future research should examine physical activity and avoidance of substance/illicit drug use as postinjury recommendations in an effort to lower the risk of depressive symptoms.

Indexed as

Brain ConcussionDepressionExerciseSubstance-Related DisordersAdolescentFemaleHumansMaleStudentsUnited StatesBrain ConcussionDepressionDrug and Narcotic ControlHead

Identifiers

PMID39837588
PMCPMC13417366

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.