Exploration of the Relationship Between Concussions and Depression Symptoms, Anxiety Symptoms, and Hazardous Drinking Among a Sample of College Students

Abstract

Objective: In clinical and athlete populations, research has found that experiencing a concussion (or traumatic brain injury) is correlated with experiencing other psychiatric conditions, including depression and alcohol problems. However, less is known about concussion comorbidity in other population segments. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between concussions and depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and hazardous drinking among a large sample of college students (N = 1776) enrolled in a mandatory health course. Methods: This study used an online health survey to examine concussion frequency (informal and formal diagnoses), sports-related concussions, depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and hazardous drinking in the sample. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine comorbid relationships between concussion frequency and the dependent variables of interest (anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, and hazardous drinking). Results: We found that 691 (39.1%) participants indicated having at least one concussion. Analyses indicated that concussion frequency scores of both formal or informal diagnoses were significantly associated with scores of depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and hazardous drinking. When examining concussion frequency scores of only formal diagnoses, only hazardous drinking evidenced a statistically significant relationship. In addition, participants who had a sports concussion had significantly higher concussion frequency scores and hazardous drinking scores than those who have had a concussion that was not sport-related. Conclusions: The comorbid concussion relationships found in this study are consistent with those observed in clinical and athlete populations. It is important for college health professionals to be aware that concussion comorbidity is not limited to the athlete population and can impact the entire student body.

Keywords:

• Concussion
• depression
• hazardous drinking
• anxiety
• comorbidity
• college students

Disclosure statement

Both authors (R.J.M. and B.H.C.) report no financial relationships with commercial interests related to the study reported in this manuscript. R.J.M. is a paid consultant for the Division on Addiction Draft Kings research contract.

Ethical approval

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the East Carolina University where this research was conducted.

Informed consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.