Postconcussive symptom severity, risk factors for prolonged recovery, and mental health history: Pathways of influence in a diverse pediatric sample.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to confirm previous risk factors for concussion recovery in a diverse pediatric sample and to elucidate the pathways by which individual mental health factors influence postconcussive symptom reporting and time to clearance. Methods: Subjects between 13 and 17 years of age ( Results: Higher symptom reporting at baseline was significantly associated with history of anxiety, depression, ADHD, headaches, and female gender. Higher symptom reporting at visit 1 was significantly associated with baseline symptoms, female gender, and history of anxiety. Symptom scores at baseline fully accounted for the relation between history of depression and symptom scores at visit 1 and only partially accounted for the relation between history of anxiety and symptom scores at visit 1. Only history of anxiety indirectly contributed to greater days to clearance through higher symptom scores at visit 1. Discussion: This study supports the concept that heterogenous experience following injury is influenced by preinjury factors and extends the generalizability of risk factors to a diverse sample of youth in terms of ethnicity, insurance status/type, and mechanism of injury. Anxiety and depression represent important noninjury factors that warrant considerable attention during concussion treatment and management.