Normative Values of Major SCAT2 and SCAT3 Components for a College Athlete Population

Abstract

The Sports Concussion Assessment Tool-2 (SCAT2) is a posttrauma evaluative screener for concussion. Although a revised version (SCAT3) recently was released, the SCAT2 continues in use. Moreover, there have been no reports of normative values with college athletes with the SCAT2 or SCAT3. Similar to the SCAT3, the SCAT2 includes a 22-item self-report symptom scale, the Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC), and a hard surface-only version of the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS). The SCAT3 does not employ a total score and adds an optional gait component. The purpose of this study was to develop normative values for collegiate athletes on the SCAT2 and its subparts with respect to sex, collision risk by sport, and concussion history. In preseason, 477 college athletes (332 male, 145 female) completed the SCAT2. The average total score was 91.08 (SD = 5.60). The average number of symptoms endorsed was 1.75. Average SAC and BESS scores were 27.17 (SD = 2.01) and 25.64 (SD = 4.07), respectively. Little or no difference was found in total and component scores due to sex, sport type, or concussion history. When baseline measurement is lacking, these data provide a good benchmark for interpreting SCAT2 and SCAT3 performance.

Key words:

• assessment/diagnosis
• sports
• tests