Associations between self-reported concussion with later violence injury among Australian early adolescents

Abstract

Background There is growing research finding associations between adolescents' concussion and negative outcomes, including violence, rarely however are the experiences of community-based early adolescents considered. Methods This study examined associations between reports of concussion (Time-1) and reports of violence 1-year later (Time-2). Australian adolescents from 13 high-schools completed two identical surveys administered 12-months apart (n = 734 retained, initial mean age = 13.45). Results At the first survey, 91 students (13%) reported they had a concussion, and of these students, 40% reported seeing a doctor/attending hospital during the prior 3 months. Both self-reported experience of violent injury (from getting in a fight) and violent behaviour (getting in a fight) were predicted by reports of concussion in Year 9. This prediction held, when adding sex, Year 9 reports of violence, alcohol use, truancy and engagement in passenger and driving risk-taking to logistic regression models. Year 9 concussion was not predictive of later injury in other contexts, including transportation, falls or sports. Conclusion The study highlights the need to understand concussion among community-based early adolescents including consider associations with violence.