Abstract Description
Objectives: To investigate concussion disclosure and reasons for non-disclosure in National Rugby League Women’s (NRLW) Premiership players in Australia.
Methods: During the 2022 NRLW pre-season, 86 NRLW players completed a voluntary, anonymous, online survey exploring player demographics, rugby playing history, concussion disclosure, and instances of, and reasons for non-disclosure.
Results: Overall, 38% of respondents did not disclose one or more possible concussions to their team or medical staff. The two main reasons for non-disclosure of concussion symptoms were ‘not wanting to be ruled out of the game or training session’ (9%) and not being ‘sure if the symptoms were related to concussion’ (9%). Seventeen players (21%) stated that they did not disclose symptoms during a concussion assessment with the team doctor, primarily during or after a game (14%). Most of the surveyed players (86%) reported attending mandatory concussion education sessions at their respective clubs.
Conclusion: A higher than expected percentage of NRLW players surveyed did not disclose one or more concussions to medical staff, suggesting that under-reporting exists in women’s Rugby league. The primary reason for non-disclosure of symptoms were consistent with NRL and Super League players, in that players did not wish to be ruled out of a game or training session or did not think symptoms were related to a concussion.
Key points
Key points
- This study in the National Rugby League Women’s Premiership found that a significant percentage (38%) of players surveyed did not disclose one or more possible concussions.
- Similar to the elite level men’s rugby league players, the primary reasons for non-disclosure by rugby league women’s players were to avoid missing games or training and not believing their symptoms were related to concussions.
- Contrary to previous research suggesting that women are more aware of their symptoms than men and more likely to disclose their concussions, our study found higher rates of non-disclosure amongst NRLW players, compared with NRL players. As with men, women may minimise their symptoms to avoid missing games or not consider their injuries serious enough to warrant medical attention. Clinicians working in women’s rugby league should be aware of the ‘win-at-all-costs’ mentality of players, particularly during or after games.
Clinical Implications
Players who choose not to disclose symptoms of concussion and remain in play are at risk of a prolonged recovery. Concussion education initiatives should promote a supportive culture fostering disclosure to ensure optimal health for players.
Presenters
Authors
Authors
Ms Shreya McLeod - Australian Catholic University (New South wales, Australia) , Dr. Stephen West - Centre for Health, and Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, University of Bath, Bath, UK (U.K.) , Ms. Kathryn Dane - Discipline of Physiotherapy, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. (Ireland) , Associate Professor Andrew J. Gardner - University of Sydney (New South Wales, Australia) , Dr. Daniel Tadmor - Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University (U.K.) , Professor Ben Jones - , Dr. Jinho Lee - N/A (New South Wales, Australia) , Professor Grant L. Iverson - Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School (Massachusetts, U.S.A.)