Patient Perceptions of Psychological and Rehabilitation Experiences After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Qualitative Study.

Context: Over 80% of patients anticipate fully returning to sport (RTS) within 1 year after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), but only one quarter of patients succeed. Although several factors influence the RTS process, this study focused on how psychological responses to injury, such as injury-related fear and self-determined motivation, help to explain variation in rehabilitation experiences. There is limited information about how these meaningful psychological responses to injury are connected to responses such as athlete burnout or how patient perceptions of these responses relate to rehabilitation.

Single Leg Hop Performance After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Ready for Landing but Cleared for Take-Off?

Context: Understanding former professional football players engagement with health promoting behaviors (physical exercise, high quality diet, and good sleep hygiene) will be helpful for developing lifestyle interventions to improve their feelings of well-being, a relatively understudied facet of health among this population.

Objective: Examine associations among health-promoting behaviors and subjective outcomes related to well-being among former National Football League (NFL) players.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Feasibility and Preliminary Effectiveness of an Online Meditation Intervention in Young Adults With Concussion History.

Context: Mindfulness interventions (yoga, meditation) in traumatic brain injury populations show promising improvements in injury outcomes. However, most studies include all injury severities and use in-person, general programming lacking accessibility and specificity to the nuance of concussion. Therefore, this study investigated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of an online, concussion-focused meditation intervention among young adults with a concussion history.

Longitudinal Characterization of Pain Interference and Influential Factors in Former National Football League (NFL) Players Over a 19-Year Period: An NFL-LONG Study.

Previous studies on pain experiences in retired contract sport athletes have been cross-sectional, leaving gaps in our understanding of the evolution of pain interference (PI) and factors that influence trajectories decades after sport discontinuation. This study investigated the longitudinal course of PI in former male National Football League (NFL) players over a 19-year period following sport discontinuation and examined factors influencing overall levels and trajectories of PI. Former NFL players completed health surveys in 2001, 2010, and 2019, with PI ratings measured using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (2001 and 2010) and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (2019).

Applying the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Framework to Social Determinants of Health in the Context of Sport-Related Concussion: A Clinical Commentary.

Sport-related concussion (SRC) is a prevalent injury. Significant disparities in SRC outcomes exist across racial and ethnic groups. These disparities may be attributed to the unequal distribution of political power (or influence) and resource allocation in various communities, shaping individuals' social determinants of health (SDOH).

Depression, anxiety and stress among female student-athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To identify, quantify and analyse determinants of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among female student-athletes.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data Sources: Five online databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsychInfo, SportDiscus and Web of Science) searched from inception through 14 September 2023.

The Longitudinal Relationship Between Concussion History, Years of American Football Participation, and Alcohol Use Among Former National Football League Players: an NFL-LONG Study.

Objective: Investigate the relationships between concussion history and years of football participation (repetitive head impact proxy) with alcohol use across multiple decades in former professional football players.

Methods: Participants (n = 348; mean age = 49.0 ± 9.

Incorporation of concussion history as part of the LIfestyle for BRAin Health (LIBRA) modifiable factors risk score and associations with cognition in older former National Football League players.

Objective: Investigate associations between the LIfestyle for BRAin Health (LIBRA) risk score with odds of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosis and cognitive function, incorporating concussion history.

Methods: Former National Football League (NFL) players (N = 1050; mean age = 64.8 ± 9.

Call It an "Evolution": Promoting Student-Athlete Well-Being During the Transition From Collegiate Sport.

After highly publicized stories of student-athletes' struggles with mental health, the spotlight on mental health and well-being in this special issue coincides with a broader growing concern for the long-term impact of competitive sport participation on student-athlete health and wellness. The end of a competitive sport career represents a potentially vulnerable life transition. As demonstrated in the literature, the unique aspects of elite sport culture shape student-athletes' perceptions of their identity, health, and health behaviors, which have implications for how student-athletes navigate their health and well-being as they transition away from the embedded health care structure inherent to elite sport.

Joint Injury, Osteoarthritis, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Former National Football League Athletes: An NFL-LONG Study.

Context: Individuals with lower extremity osteoarthritis (OA) have a 25% greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than those without OA. The prevalence of traumatic joint injuries among National Football League (NFL) players exposes these athletes to an elevated risk for OA and potentially a greater risk of cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) and CVD.

Objectives: To examine the associations between a history of lower extremity joint injury, lower extremity OA, and the prevalence of CRFs and CVD among former NFL athletes.

Relating American Football Age of First Exposure to Patient-Reported Outcomes and Medical Diagnoses Among Former National Football League Players: An NFL-LONG study.

Background: The age of first exposure (AFE) to American football participation is a growing concern for late-life function. Mixed evidence exists surrounding AFE and may be attributed to varied methods employed across studies.

Objective: To examine the associations between AFE to American football participation with measures of cognitive, behavioral, and physical function and brain-related medical diagnoses across age categories among former National Football League players.

Active Warfighter Mental Health Lower in Mid-Career.

Purpose: The present study investigated Special Operations Forces (SOF) combat Servicemember mental health at different SOF career stages in association with resilience.

Methods: Fifty-eight SOF combat Service Members either entering SOF (career start; n=38) or multiple years with their SOF organization (mid-career; n=20) self-reported mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) history, resilience, subjective well-being, depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. Poisson regression analyses were employed to test SOF career stage differences in each mental health symptom using resilience, while accounting for other pertinent military factors.

The stability of self-reported professional football concussion history among former players: A longitudinal NFL-LONG study.

Objectives: To examine the stability of former National Football League (NFL) players' recall of professional football concussion.

Methods: Two-hundred-and-nine former NFL players (ceasing football participation before/in 2001) completed surveys in 2001, 2010, and 2019 and reported the number of concussions sustained during their professional careers (0, 1 … 10, >10). Participants were categorized into four 'recall stability' groups, based upon concussion recall [e.

Warfighter Resilience.

Purpose: Our aim in this study was to psychometrically test resilience assessments (Ego Resiliency Scale [ER89], Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale [CD-RISC 25], Responses to Stressful Experiences Scale [RSES short-form]) and describe resilience levels in a Special Operations Forces (SOF) combat sample.

Methods: Fifty-eight SOF combat Servicemembers either entering SOF (career start; n = 38) or having served multiple years with their SOF organization (mid-career; n = 20) self-reported resilience, mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) history, and total military service.

Results: All resilience metrics demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, but ceiling effects were found for CD-RISC and RSES scores.

Measurement implications on the association between self-reported concussion history and depression: An NFL-LONG study.

This study examined how associations of self-reported concussion history and depression vary based on different variable characterizations. Former NFL players (=1,697) completed a General Health Survey, indicating the number of concussions they sustained during their football career and whether a physician had diagnosed them with depression, and the PROMIS 4-item Depression scale. Self-reported concussion history was characterized as: a 3-category variable (0, 1-2, 3+) with (1) indicator variables and (2) as an ordinal variable; a 5-category variable (0, 1-2, 3-5, 6-9, 10+) with (3) indicator variables and (4) as an ordinal variable; and (5) the original interval scale (0, 1, 2,…, 10, 10+).

Transition-Related Psychosocial Factors and Mental Health Outcomes in Former National Football League Players: An NFL-LONG Study.

Transition from professional sport to nonsport endeavors has implications for postcareer health and well-being of athletes. The purpose of the current study was to examine associations among transition-related psychosocial factors and current mental health outcomes in former National Football League (NFL) players. Participants were former NFL players (n = 1,784; mean age = 52.

Cumulative Concussion and Odds of Stroke in Former National Football League Players.

Background And Purpose: Postmortem and experimental studies indicate a potential association between repeated concussions and stroke risk in older contact sport athletes. We examined the relationship between concussion and stroke history in former National Football League players aged ≥50 years.

Methods: Former professional football players aged ≥50 years who played ≥1 year in the National Football League were enrolled in the cross-sectional study.

Subjective Concerns Regarding the Effects of Sport-Related Concussion on Long-Term Brain Health among Former NFL Players: An NFL-LONG Study.

Background: Potential links between a history of sport-related concussions and later-life neurobiological and psychological brain health have been studied in former collision-sport athletes. However, empirical studies of how former athletes perceive the future of their brain health as a result of these injuries are missing.

Objectives: We aimed to (1) identify the extent to which former National Football League players currently have concerns about their long-term psychological and cognitive functioning as a result of concussions sustained while playing football; (2) examine whether current concerns are different than concerns they had while playing football; (3) examine the relationship between current brain health concerns and self-reported concussion history (SR-CHx); and (4) explore other important factors associated with these concerns.

Longitudinal trajectory of depression symptom severity and the influence of concussion history and physical function over a 19-year period among former National Football League (NFL) players: an NFL-LONG Study.

Objective: This study investigated the longitudinal course of depressive symptom severity over 19 years in former American football players and the influence of concussion history, contact sport participation and physical function on observed trajectories.

Methods: Former American football players completed a general health questionnaire involving demographic information, medical/psychiatric history, concussion/football history and validated measures of depression and physical function at three time points (2001, 2010 and 2019). Parallel process latent growth curve modelling tested associations between concussion history, years of football participation, and overall and change in physical function on the overall level and trajectory of depressive symptoms.

Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Reported by Former Professional Football Players over 50 yr of Age: An NFL-LONG Study.

Purpose: This study aimed to estimate prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia diagnoses in former National Football League (NFL) players ≥50 yr old and examine the relationships among these diagnoses and an array of predictors of long-term brain health.

Methods: A cross section of former NFL players (n = 922; mean ± SD age, 64.8 ± 8.

Disparate Associations of Years of Football Participation and a Metric of Head Impact Exposure with Neurobehavioral Outcomes in Former Collegiate Football Players.

Objectives: Years of sport participation (YoP) is conventionally used to estimate cumulative repetitive head impacts (RHI) experienced by contact sport athletes. The relationship of this measure to other estimates of head impact exposure and the potential associations of these measures with neurobehavioral functioning are unknown. We investigated the association between YoP and the Head Impact Exposure Estimate (HIEE), and whether associations between the two estimates of exposure and neurobehavioral functioning varied.

Musculoskeletal Injury History Is Associated With Lower Physical and Mental Health in a Historical Cohort of Former National Football League Players.

Context: Little research has examined health-related quality of life in former National Football League (NFL) players.

Objective: Examine the association of musculoskeletal injury history and current self-reported physical and mental health in former NFL players.

Setting: Cross-sectional questionnaire.