September 29, 2026 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
Researchers from the Arnold School’s Department of Exercise Science and the College of Nursing recently completed a study looking for patterns in mental health outcomes among 10–17-year-olds from different backgrounds who had experienced sport-related concussions. Published in the Journal of Athletic Training, the team did not find a link between race or household income and mental health outcomes. They did find that patients who had more severe symptoms were more likely to report higher levels of depression and anxiety.
Prior research suggests that youth patients diagnosed with a concussion have a 1.4 times higher risk of mental health problems compared to orthopaedic injuries; further, adolescents who already have a preexisting mental health diagnosis are nearly three times as likely to develop a new, additional mental health condition after a concussion,” says exercise science clinical associate professor Zacharay Winklemann, who directs USC’s Certificates of Graduate Study in Athletic Training, including the nation’s first Behavioral Health program, and served as lead author on the study. “It’s important that athletic trainers and other healthcare providers learn as much as we can about who is at risk for adverse mental health outcomes so we can prevent, mitigate and treat these injuries accordingly.”
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations High School Athletics Participation survey, sport-related concussions represent approximately 13% of all injuries in high school sports across the United States. With symptoms ranging from headaches and dizziness to depression and anxiety, most adolescents recover within about 17 days. However, some patients face prolonged recovery, possibly leading to absences from school, sports, and other daily activities, which may worsen mental health symptoms.
Previous research has linked lower family socioeconomic status with longer recovery periods, and race and household income have both been tied to mental health outcomes across a variety of contexts. With this study, the researchers investigated whether race and household income influence symptom severity, anxiety, and depression following a sport-related concussion.
They analyzed the medical records of 464 adolescents (approximately half white and half persons of color; average age of 14) who were evaluated at a specialty concussion clinic after a sport-related concussion. For this sample of patients, overall concussion symptoms were relatively mild, with a smaller group of about 12% reporting moderate to severe symptoms. Across the participants, anxiety and depression symptoms were also present but at generally low levels. The authors’ strongest finding was that the more concussion symptoms reported by a patient, the more anxiety and depression they were likely to simultaneously experience. Their findings did not support using race or household income alone as predictors of mental health problems postconcussion.
“While we did not find an association between race and income and mental health, we learned that patients who are still having physical symptoms like headaches or concentration problems are also more likely to be struggling emotionally,” Winkelmann says. “It is essential that clinicians screen every athlete for mental health concerns after a concussion and monitor recovery over time. Mental health should be a part of concussion care for everyone, regardless of racial background or socioeconomic status.”