Implications of Race on Post-Concussion Neurocognitive Performance and Symptom Presentation
Abstract
The objective of this thesis was to examine the impact of race on post-concussion symptoms and neurocognitive performance. This was achieved through a systematic review and meta-analysis (Chapter 2), and a retrospective study (Chapter 3). From 15 published studies, it was found that Whites (70.11%) reported a higher prevalence of concussion then Black/African American (13.65%). A small effect (g = 0.3) of race was found on neurocognitive measures, indicating that Whites performed better. Using a database of concussion outcomes, it was found that Black/African American reported significantly higher symptom severities (p <0.05), but this was dependent on the scale used. Significant differences were found on some, but not all, neurocognitive outcomes (p <0.05). This highlights the complex relationship between race and concussion presentation and outcomes and suggests racial differences should be considered when selecting assessment methods.