Women More Likely Than Men to Suffer Sports-Related Concussions

A new study by faculty members at the University of Virginia finds that women athletes have an increased risk of suffering sports-related concussions. Even within particular sports played by both men and women such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, and hockey, women were more likely to suffer concussions than men. And for those athletes that suffer concussions, women report more severe symptoms than men.

Co-author Donna Broshek, a professor of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, stated that “it is important to study female athletes because such research might identify risk factors for concussion that could potentially be modified to reduce risk of concussion, or to identify ways of managing or treating their concussions that might be distinct or unique. For example, if female athletes have different symptoms depending on the phase of their menstrual cycle, that might have some treatment implications. There are many factors that affect recovery, however, and clinical management should be individualized.”

Dr. Broshek joined the faculty at the University of Virginia in 1998. She holds a Ph.D. at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and completed a clinical psychology internship and postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at the University of Virginia.

The study, “Sport Concussion and the Female Athlete,” was published in the journal Clinics in Sports Medicine. It may be accessed here.