Youth Football Culture In The Southeastern Region Of The United States: Concussion Reporting Behavior

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PURPOSE: Most research examining youth football players and concussion reporting behavior is of quantitative design. A qualitative research design is useful when trying to provide a robust understanding of an individual’s experiences. The purpose of the current study was to examine the culture of a youth football league pertaining to concussion reporting using a qualitative research design.METHODS: Research was of a qualitative grounded theory design. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Participants included coaches (n = 9), parents (n = 9), and athletes (n = 8) of an independent youth football league in the southeast United States. The league was chosen due to its high frequency of concussions and community passion for football. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed via content analysis design. Credibility was established by mechanisms including triangulation, member checks, and peer review.RESULTS: Three major themes emerged from the data relating to concussion reporting behavior in youth football. These themes were 1) negative perceptions of reporting, 2) social influence, and 3) concussion education. Coaches, parents, and athletes spoke about the fear of “not playing” in practices or “missing game[s]” as reasons players hide concussion symptoms. Social influences were identified by participants as barriers to reporting concussions. There was consistency across all participants related to the “pressure”, “[the fear of] losing their starting position”, and social stigma associated with reporting a concussion. Coaches, parents, and youth athletes indicated perceived deficiencies in concussion education across the league. With accounts of “they didn’t give us any [education]” and “[coaches] don’t really talk about [concussions] much” from participants.CONCLUSIONS: Our data provides additional support of the impact of social influences (i.e. coach/parent/peer behavior) on youth athletes’ attitude towards concussion reporting. Educational deficits regarding the effectiveness and dissemination of training on concussion were noted by all three participant types. Our qualitative design was helpful in understanding the common culture of a youth football community when it comes to reporting concussion with an emphasis of desire to continue playing.

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