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Examining Criteria For Defining Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms In Children And Adolescents, Grant L. Iverson, Justin E. Karr, Bruce Maxwell, Ross Zafonte, Paul D. Berkner, Nathan E. Cook

Psychology Faculty Publications

Researchers operationalize persistent post-concussion symptoms in children and adolescents using varied definitions. Many pre-existing conditions, personal characteristics, and current health issues can affect symptom endorsement rates in the absence of, or in combination with, a recent concussion, and the use of varied definitions can lead to differences in conclusions about persistent symptoms and recovery across studies. This study examined how endorsement rates varied by 14 different operational definitions of persistent post-concussion symptoms for uninjured boys and girls with and without pre-existing or current health problems. This cross-sectional study included a large sample (age range: 11–18) of girls (n = …